


Taking Care

by Ultra



Category: Necessary Roughness
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship/Love, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Season/Series 01, Therapy, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 09:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1029812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr Dani has been working too hard taking care of everybody else; now she needs someone to be there for her. Enter Nico. Once their relationship takes this new turn, can it ever go back to how it was? If not, what might it turn into later?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally wrote and posted this fic elsewhere Aug 2012-Feb 2013. It was my first 'full length' Dani/Nico fic. Hope it gets some love over here, because I have a sequel in the works that I may yet post here too!

It was two in the morning when Dani Santino woke to a buzzing sound right by her head. She honestly wasn’t sure what to think about it and the idea of moving to find out what was bothering her was almost too much effort. She had been so tired all of yesterday. Although Dani was not that kind of doctor, she figured she knew her own body well enough to realise all she needed was a good night’s sleep. Tonight was apparently not going to live up to her expectations, as the buzzing continued. Her brain soon caught up with her ears and one flailing hand reached out for her cell - which she knocked clean off the nightstand.

“Damn it!” she cursed as she tumbled out of bed, reaching for the phone.

She was a little confused by how long it took for her eyes to focus on the screen. The lack of surprise was to realise who was sending her text messages at 2.05am. Grabbing for her robe, it seemed to take forever to find the sleeves, and honestly, Dani almost wished she hadn’t wrapped the thing around her before she ever made the stairs. God, she felt so hot, and she had no idea when the carpet got so many lumps in it to trip her up.

Pushing her hair out of her face, Dani stumbled down the stairs to the front door. She fumbled with the lock until finally she managed to prise the door open to reveal the man she would have known just by the sillouhette beyond the glass.

“Nico,” she sighed. “What is it now?” she asked tiredly.

He frowned at the sight of her. He expected most normal people to look tired at such an hour when summoned from bed, but this was different. Dani never looked so out of it, never leaned so heavily on the door for support like that. Her forehead glistened with sweat though it was a fairly cool night. Tired was one thing, this was entirely something else.

“Are you feeling okay?” he checked, all the more concerned when she looked up at him and couldn’t seem to focus.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, looking and sounding anything but. “I just... I...”

The moment her voice started to falter, Nico guessed what was coming.

For Dani it was as if the whole world had gone into slow motion. Every blink of her eyes seemed to take forever, her legs refusing to hold her up. When she tried to speak, to tell the man at the door she was just fine, a blackness swirled before her eyes. A second later, she was gone.

As her legs went from under her, Nico’s arms shot out to catch her. Dani fell against his chest, seemingly weighing nothing at all, and he had little choice but to pick her up and carry her. One arm around her back and another under her legs, Nico swept Dani up into his grasp and brought her inside, closing the door as quietly as possible with his foot.

“Well, this wasn’t the plan.”

* * *

It was seven in the morning when Dani Santino woke to a shaft of sunlight hitting her right between the eyes. She felt a little woozy still, truth be told, but much better than when she went to bed. That good night’s sleep she knew she needed must have really helped, she figured.

Getting herself up and out of bed, she staggered a little as she reached for her robe and pulled it on. Maybe she was still feeling a little wobbly, but she would live. Besides, she had the kids to deal with and work to go to, she had to be okay.

Dani ran a hand through her hair as she pushed it back off her face. It felt lank and greasy, meaning she would have to make time to wash it. God only knew how it had gotten in such a mess overnight, but she would worry about that later.

Heading downstairs, Dani got the weirdest deja vu. It stopped her dead in the middle of the steps and yet for the life of her she couldn’t focus enough to know why this was familiar. Maybe she had got out of bed in the night, and yet the memory was fuzzy at best, as if maybe she had dreamt it.

Shaking off the moment, Dani got to the bottom of the stairs and headed for the kitchen. Chattering voices and the smell of bacon was not unwelcome, but it was confusing.

“Kids?” she called as she opened the door.

“Mom!” Lindsay was up off her stool like a shot, rushing to hug her mother.

“Hey, you’re up,” Ray Jay smiled from his own seat. “We were seriously starting to worry.”

“I don’t...” replied Dani as she looked from daughter to son, and then over by the stove where a man was frying bacon still.

“Good morning,” said Nico as he turned to face her.

“Er, yeah, it is morning,” she nodded along. “But honestly? I’d go with weird more than good... Why are you making breakfast for my kids?” she asked, entirely baffled as she sat down hard on the nearest stool.

“It’s cool, Mom,” Lindsay assured her. “Somebody had to help out whilst you were sick and Nico has been pretty great,” she smiled widely.

Dani frowned hard at the sound of those words, and yet said nothing. She had been sick last night? Was that what they were telling her. Maybe that was what she didn’t recall, and yet her kids were talking about Nico as if they’d known him forever. As far as she knew they only met once and that was when he reprimanded them for selling Hawks merchandise illegally!

“We’re gonna be late for school if we don’t split like right now,” said Ray Jay then. “It is cool that you’re feeling better though, Mom. You really scared us for a while,” he son told her, kissing her cheek as he headed off to school with his sister on his heels.

“What...? I... I was sick?” Dani asked confusedly as she looked to Nico for answers; after all, he was the only one left to tell her anything.

The way he was looking at her was almost as if he found the question confusing. As far as Dani was concerned he could join the club on that one. She didn’t understand any of this and it made her head spin all the more just thinking about it.

“You don’t remember me coming over, do you?” he checked as he came to lean his elbows on the counter opposite her.

“Um... vaguely,” she admitted, “but I don’t remember why,” she admitted awkwardly.

“That’s because I never got the chance to tell you before you passed out on me,” he explained. “One minute I’m asking if you’re okay and the next, carrying you to your bedroom.”

Dani opened her mouth to give a response and failed miserably to do so. It was a toss up who was more embarrassed in this moment, not least because of the way Nico chose his words. Honestly, the fact the man was even capable of looking that uncomfortable was making Dani feel a whole lot better.

“In any case, that was three days ago...” he said after a moments pause, getting a massive reaction from his doctor friend.

“Three days?!” she gasped with genuine shock. “I was out cold for three days?” she checked, her hand having landed on his arm at some point.

“Hey, don’t panic, it’s all fine,” he promised her, covering her hand with his own then. “I called a doctor, and your mother. We got everything under control, and you’re going to be just fine,” he promised her, mindful of letting her get so worked up. “I’m guessing you didn’t realise how tired and stressed you let yourself get.”

Dani shook her head, feeling so stupid. She honestly didn’t remember anything of these past three days she was supposedly sick in bed. Sure, she felt a little off colour and very tired, but she hadn’t thought things were so bad. She tried to remember anything but for the most part she came up empty, until suddenly she felt Nico’s fingers around her own, squeezing her hand gently.

“Dani?” he got her attention. “You’ve gotta learn to take better care of yourself,” he advised.

She nodded in understanding, but her focus was not currently her health.

“You’ve been here, for three days,” she said, a statement not a question as she stared at him. “Maybe not constantly but... but you’ve been here, helping with the kids and... and holding my hand?” she said a little more uncertainly, glancing down at their entwined fingers.

“Sometimes,” was all he said, and then it wasn’t clear which part he was admitting to.

“Why?” she asked then, still a little baffled.

For a man that always seemed to have an answer for any given moment or situation, Nico looked a little lost then. He knew his pause was a tell tale sign that there was much more to this than any answer he now gave. Still, he hoped in her under-the-weather state, he might get his minor lie past the good doctor who was usually so sharp.

“What are friends for?” he told her with a hint of a smile. “Besides, if you’re out of action it makes my job that much harder,” he said next, letting go of her hand altogether too quickly and moving away. “Terrence has already missed one therapy session because of this.”

Dani wasn’t sure whether to be offended or flattered, and Nico knew he was a complete idiot for making it sound as if he only cared for her because of work. The moment couldn’t be more awkward unless Dani’s mother walked in. Right on cue, she did just that.

“Sweetheart!” she greeted her daughter with a smile and an enveloping hug. “Oh, Danielle, we have been so worried about you. What did you think you were doing, tiring yourself out like that?” she asked then.

As the two women parted, Dani looked over her mother’s shoulder to see Nico. He was already long gone.

* * *

Surprisingly it didn’t take Dani Santino all that long to bounce back from illness. Truth be told, she hadn’t caught anything too nasty, just been functioning on too much stress and not enough sleep until her body finally couldn’t fight any more. It was only after the event that she realised how it happened. Late nights, early mornings. Running around after the kids, worrying about the divorce, baby-sitting T.K. All this on top of her other clients and usual household chores, it had just gotten on top of her. Dani would have seen the signs in anyone else, a friend or a client, but in herself she had been oblivious until it was too late.

There was the worry that the Coach wouldn’t trust her after this, and the owner would get tetchy about her missing work. Dani needn’t have worried. Coach Parnell’s only concern seemed to be that she was okay again, though how much of that had to do with her actual health and how much to do with getting his team in shape, the good doctor chose not to wonder. She was glad to be feeling better, glad to be back, and she had one man to thank for her speedy recovery.

“Glad to see you feeling better, doctor,” he said, having appeared as if from nowhere as usual.

“Not as glad as I am, Nico,” she smiled back at him as she walked over to where he was leaning against the wall. “Seems like things haven’t changed much in the time I was away,” she noted, following her conversation with the coach.

“I wouldn’t say that,” the fixer shook his head slightly. “Your presence was missed.”

There it was again, that look, or rather the absence of a look. Dani was pretty sure she had never seen Nico avoid eye contact so much with any other person as he did with her, especially lately. She recalled the moment in her kitchen a few days ago when she realised he had been there taking care of her. It was as if he wanted to care but didn’t know how, or didn’t think she’d want him to.

“Y’know, I really appreciate what you did for me,” she said then, perhaps too serious as she gazed up at him.

“It was nothing,” Nico literally shrugged it off, taking a step to walk away, but Dani wasn’t going to let that happen, not right now.

“It was not nothing,” she said definitely, making her own move to keep him where he was until she was finished. “I talked to my mother about it. You know Ma, she’s got a big mouth when it comes to stuff she probably shouldn’t say,” Dani rolled her eyes. “The fact is, she told me how you handled everything. You got me a doctor, you came over every day, more than once a day. You checked on the kids, you kept an eye on me...”

“It’s what I do,” he told her easily, like it was nothing at all that he had really done for her.

“No, not really,” she argued with a smile she couldn’t help. “See, doing your job might’ve involved ensuring I was back in better health quickly but you didn’t have to... to care,” she pointed out. “You drove Lindsay to her friends sleepover that I was meant to take her to. You made sure they got Chinese take-out on Wednesday night. When I was having fever-induced nightmares, that thankfully I remember only vaguely, you were there to hold my hand and tell me it was gonna be okay.”

Nico hadn’t wanted her to know all that. A large part of him hoped she wouldn’t remember and that nobody would tell. At the same time, he was almost glad to have her tell him she knew and she was happy about it. Honestly, he didn’t like to admit it even to himself, but he would do anything to have her smile at him the way she smiled at Donnally sometimes.

“What can I say, Dani?” he asked her then. “I care... about your job, and your health, obviously,” he told her awkwardly.

The good doctor only smiled. She knew that for all that Nico was good at, talking about feelings was not one of the things he excelled in. There was no way for her to judge him on that, and she wouldn’t try to analyse it. She just accepted him for being him, and really was a much better person than he tried to make out.

“I appreciate that you care, Nico,” she told him. “Thank you.”

When she leaned up to kiss his cheek, she hadn’t expected him to move. Truth be known, neither was sure how it happened exactly, but suddenly they were lip to lip and the surprise stuck them to the spot for a few moments longer than intended. As they parted, Dani looked up into his eyes, unsure what to say next. She was saved from having to try when Nico spoke instead.

“I’m sorry,” he told her turning to go.

“I’m not,” she said behind him, glad to see him smile as he glanced back at her.

Nico carried on walking then, and Dani turned to go her own way, a grin stuck on her face that she couldn’t see shifting any time soon. She breezed by Matt’s office without even noticing, until suddenly he stuck his head out and said hello.

“Hey, you feeling better?” he checked.

Dani briefly looked back when she answered him.

“I am feeling just great,” she declared as she kept on walking. “Never better.”


	2. Chapter 2

Dani had a headache. She wasn’t sure if it was a real problem or if she was just stressing to the point of making her brain protest. Too much was going on right now, way too much to handle. After how she ended up last time, making herself sick, she was mindful of allowing things to get on top of her like that again, but things continued to be difficult. It was hard to juggle everything sometimes, when the problems she faced at every turn started to look insurmountable.

“Hey,” a voice said behind her, and she turned in her seat up high in the stadium to see Nico approaching down the steps. “You okay?” he checked.

Though Dani opened her mouth to answer she stopped short of actually letting the words out. A standardised ‘yeah, I’m fine’ would be an abject lie and she knew it. Maybe she would’ve gotten away with that once with Nico, though somehow she doubted it. Things were definitely different now, ever since he pulled his knight in shining armour bit. When she was sick he was there for her, and for her family. They had definitely segued from friendly work colleagues to genuine friends somewhere in the past couple of weeks, even though they hadn’t seen much of each other just lately.

“Honestly? I don’t know if I’m okay,” Dani sighed, as Nico sat down beside her, resting his elbows on his knees.

They both gazed out over the field below where practice was finishing up and the players headed inside to shower and change. TK didn’t look good, didn’t look happy, and yet his new therapy was supposed to be just exactly what he needed. Dani wanted to help him, and yet finding a way to do so got harder all the time.

“Why is there never an easy fix?” she said, more to herself than to anyone else.

Dani looked sideways at Nico then and a wry smile found its way to her lips.

“Ooh, I picked the wrong person to say that in front of,” she noted with mild amusement. “For you, there really is always an easy fix, isn’t there?” she noted, turning in her seat to better face him.

“Not always,” Nico shook his head slightly. “I mean, work-wise? Sure. There are very few people that can’t be paid off or otherwise convinced to do what I ask,” he admitted, “but real life isn’t always like that.”

Dani didn’t say anything for a long while, just sat there contemplating this man. He was quite a mystery, that was for sure, though she couldn’t say he exactly kept secrets on purpose. The fact of the matter was, she never tried asking him anything for him to have the chance to reveal the truth or to lie. When they talked it was mostly about work, and any time they spent together away from that had been when she was semiconscious.

Dani had few coherent memories of when she was laid up in bed in her stress-related stupor. All she knew from what the kids and her Mom had said was that Nico was there when he was needed, going above and beyond the call of duty. She was still grateful for that, as well as surprised by it if she were honest.

“Can I ask you something?” she said at length, and Nico nodded for her to go ahead. “If you knew that somebody you loved was being cheated on by her boyfriend, would you tell her?” she asked. “Even when you know it’s going to break her heart to hear it?”

It wasn’t the only problem Dani had to face right now, but it was most prominent in her mind in this moment. Poor Lindsay hadn’t a clue what Joey was really like, though to be fair Dani hadn’t either until Jeanette said she saw the boy at the coffee shop on Baxter, making out with some other girl. Now that left good old Mom in a quandary, and given she herself was the one everyone else turned to for advice, Dani wondered who she was meant to turn to. Nico seemed like a reasonable choice when she thought about it.

“I think I would tell her,” he answered almost immediately. “This guy clearly doesn’t love his girlfriend like he should if he’s willing to cheat. If you care for her, you owe it to her to be more honest than he’s being.”

Dani nodded that she agreed with that. It was the answer she already knew inside her own head, but it did help to hear somebody else say it too. Of course, that didn’t make what she had to do any easier.

“And when the girl is your own teenage daughter?” she sighed, putting her face in her hands. “Nico, how am I going to tell Lindsay that her precious Joey is a cheating slime? It’ll destroy her.”

Nico visibly winced at the sounds of those words. Teenage girls were fragile, more than even they themselves realised, he knew that well enough. Lindsay was a good girl and she loved her Mom, he knew that too, but she was not going to want to hear the news she had to give her. Nobody wanted to know they were being cheated on, but at the end of the day, she would find out. Better from her loving, caring mother, than some stranger, or by stumbling across the ugly truth herself.

“Your a good Mom, Dani,” he told her, patting her knee before standing up to leave. “I know you’ll handle it just fine.”

With that he walked away, turning back just once when she called after him to say thanks. He gave her a salute like wave before leaving her alone again, with a smile on her face for a change. No, it wouldn’t be easy telling Lindsay the truth, but Nico was right. If she loved her daughter as much as she said she did, Dani owed it to her to be honest, no matter how badly Lindsay took the news.

Picking herself and her things up, Dani adjusted her sunglasses on her face and headed for home. She needed to have a conversation with her baby girl. She wasn’t looking forward to it, but it had to be done.

Nico glanced behind him and saw Dani taking the other route back towards the parking lot. Sure she wasn’t going to come over and hear him, he pulled out his cell and quickly dialled a number. It rang twice before someone picked up the other end.

“Hey, man,” he said with a hint of worry in his tone already. “Is my Mom okay?”

“She’s fine, Ray Jay,” Nico promised with a smile borne out of the teen’s concern. “In fact, I think she’s on her way home to you guys right now,” he said, peering around to see if Dani was getting in her car - she was. “Listen, I wanted to check something with you. This guy Joey that dates your sister, he have a last name?”

* * *

“Lindsay?” Dani called when the front door slammed loudly.

Since Ray Jay was already home, she was sure it had to be her daughter coming back from a shopping trip with Winter. Now seemed like as good as time as any for their talk about Joey that she had been putting off the past few days. There just never seemed to be a good time, even after she talked to Nico and knew damn well it had to happen. Dani just dreaded breaking her little girl’s heart, but there were no other choices left, and today had to be the day.

“Mom?” Lindsay suddenly appeared in the living room doorway, no shopping bags, but tears in her eyes and tracks down both cheeks.

“Oh, sweetheart, what happened?” she asked worriedly, gesturing for her to come be hugged already.

Lindsay collapsed into her mothers waiting arms, sobbing all over her. Dani really didn’t know what to say, part of her wondering if she still needed to worry about telling her daughter the truth about Joey. She was about to ask for sure when she got her answer anyway.

“He cheated on me Mom,” she cried, words muffled against Dani’s shoulder. “Joey cheated on me. He met us at the mall and he told me... he told me he was seeing this other girl and it was over.”

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” said Dani, holding her close and rubbing her back.

She remembered what it was like to be a teenager in love, or at least when you think you’re in love. Broken hearts hurt so much, especially when you were fifteen. Everything was a drama at that age, but Dani knew better than to try to tell Lindsay things would get better, or that this was not a big deal. All the poor girl was looking for here was some comfort from her ever-loving mother, and that was all she was going to get too.

Ray Jay appeared in the doorway and saw the scene, closing his mouth fast when he realised what was going on. What he had to say would wait in the circumstances. He gestured if he should just go and Dani nodded, silently thanking him for giving the women in his family a little alone time. Ray Jay quietly pulled the door closed and walked away, just vaguely hearing his mother tell Lindsay ‘guys like him, they’re just not worth it’.

They had to be talking about Joey, there wasn’t anybody else that would make sense. If that guy had made his sister cry, Ray Jay kind of wanted to punch him right in the mouth, but he probably wouldn’t. He had this idea that maybe he didn’t need to as he glanced down at the cell phone in his hand. Frowning a little, he dialled a number and hurried upstairs where neither Lindsay or his Mom would hear him at all.

“Ray Jay. Everything okay?” asked Nico just as soon as he picked up, and he did always pick up fast.

“Yes and no,” he replied. “I mean, Lindsay is pretty upset. Best guess, Joey was cheating on her.”

“That’s no fun for her,” came the fixer’s answer, pretty vague as far as Ray Jay was concerned.

“Yeah, I’m just wondering if I should go kick this guy’s ass,” he said, testing the water as it were. “I mean, she’s my baby sister...”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Ray Jay,” Nico replied, making the teen smile.

It was what he had expected, all the excuses that came next. How Mom wouldn’t like him getting into fights and Lindsay would probably accuse him of sticking his nose where it wasn’t wanted. There was no way a guy like Nico, who was all for death before dishonour, would think a sleaze like Joey should go unpunished. No, Ray Jay was pretty sure the fixer had something to do with Lindsay getting the truth about her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend as he was now. He was more certain than ever in this moment, though he didn’t say so.

“You’re probably right,” he agreed after a while. “I should leave it alone. Thanks, Nico.”

“No problem, kid,” he replied before hanging up from the call.

The fixer shoved his phone back into his pocket and smiled. Ray Jay was equally as sharp as his mother, even if it wasn’t always obvious. He didn’t ask the question he really wanted the answer to, but he got it all the same. Yes, Nico had something to do with Joey revealing his indiscretions to Lindsay. He knew she would be upset by that, anybody would, but Nico also knew it would be so much worse if the poor girl found out by accident later. Besides, Dani was dreading telling what she knew and putting further strain on an already wobbly mother-daughter relationship. Making Joey come clean or else, it was the easiest way, the quickest and least painful for all.

Of course, Nico’s work wasn’t done yet. If Lindsay was upset, Dani would be too. Maybe he would swing by the house later with dinner or something, see if he couldn’t cheer them both up, and Ray Jay too of course.

Nico wasn’t entirely sure when he had decided that the whole Santino family’s welfare was such a priority in his life, but it was right there at the top of the list now, and he couldn’t see it moving any time soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Dani was in the kitchen, trying to figure out what she was going to make for dinner for two fussy teens, one of which was in full-on depressed mode. She couldn’t blame Lindsay for her mood, of course. She just got her heat broken, and Dani knew better than anyone how much that hurt. Relationships were hard, and God knows the men in Dani’s life were no easier to deal with than those in anyone elses.

First there was Ray, a guy she had been in love with since High School. The guy she was sure she would spend the rest of her life with when they got married and had two kids. Now it was all over, divorce proceedings were in full swing, and apart from one little wobble at the high school reunion, she was done with that guy. They would always be connected by the kids, of course they would, but other than that, Dani was done with him.

Then there was Matt. He was forbidden fruit in a whole bunch of ways. One night of passion right when she had needed somebody, yeah, that had been fun. Putting things on hold after that had seemed necessary but entirely unfair. Now he had moved on, building bridges with his ex, Laura, and Dani wasn’t sure how that made her feel. On some level, she hated it, most likely because she had it in her head that Matt was supposed to be waiting for her, and now he wasn’t. She sometimes wondered if she would care so much if she could just have the guy already. Laughing at the way that even sounded in her own head, Dani decided the less she thought about that the better.

Next man up in the list was J.D. who she literally ran into a couple of days ago. Jeanette seemed to have her heart set on Dani hooking up with he gorgeous guy, and there was little room for manoeuvre when it came to arguing the point. Two single people who both liked each other and knew enough about one another to be friends already. It could be fun to date J.D., Dani couldn’t deny it, but she wasn’t entirely sold on the idea yet.

Last but not least, her mind turned to Nico. When they first met, she hadn’t been sure how to take him. He had that mysterious air about him that made her curious, made her wonder what he was hiding behind his long coat and dark glasses. They had gotten to know each other a little better since then, and there was definitely a whole other side to the secretive fixer. He was a friend now, most definitely, after all he’d done to help her out when she was sick. He had been there for her, for her kids, in a time of need. That was true friendship. Of course, since she got back to work, their relationship hadn’t changed all that much. Most conversations still revolved around work matters, and if he came to her door out of hours it was only because T.K. was in trouble again.

The kiss was never touched upon, and Dani wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Mostly she chose to file it away as one of those things and not worry about it. After all, it wasn’t a big deal. They were grown ups and it wasn’t really meant to mean anything. She had simply been thanking Nico for helping her out, and an innocent kiss on the cheek had been a little more meaningful when he moved unexpectedly. Since then, they just dealt with each other as colleagues and friends, no more, no less, and that was fine. Of course it was fine, there was no reason for it to be anything else.

“Mom?” Ray Jay called her an for a third time, and it was only then that Dani realised she had been staring unseeing into the cupboard this whole time.

“I’m sorry, sweeheart,” she shook off her daze and turned to her son. “Did you need something?”

“Um, dinner, maybe?” he suggested with a look. “You’ve been in here a while but...” he gestured to the empty counter and the stove that showed no signs of life.

“I’m sorry,” Dani almost laughed at how dumb she was as she put a hand to her head. “I got distracted, but I’m on it, I swear,” she promised, setting her mind where it should be.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” her son checked, with evident concern. “I mean, I don’t want you to get sick again...”

“I swear, Ray Jay, I’m fine,” she promised him, reaching to take his face in her hands.

He was such a sweet boy. Considering everything that had happened, he turned out pretty good, and thank God for it. He was gone from her sight when a knock sounded on the front door, and Dani turned to the refrigerator. There had to be something simple she could whip up for dinner, if she just kept her mind on the task at hand.

“Hey, Mom! Don’t worry about dinner,” Ray Jay called from the hallway, then continued talking in a quieter voice, to whoever he just let in, she assumed.

Dani craned her neck to see who was approaching and smiled, albeit with surprise, at the sight of Nico. It was so strange that he should show up when she was just thinking about him, but then her mind had wondered onto the topic of him a few times lately.

“I thought maybe you’d appreciate some help with dinner,” the fixer shrugged like it was no big deal.

Dani tried not to let her eyes narrow at the sight of Nico with bags of groceries in hand. There was no way he’d done this on a whim, she doubted he ever did anything without thinking it through properly. Besides, it wasn’t as if he picked up take out on his way over, this was ingredients to actually make real food. That had to be planned, he had to know he was coming here. Not that it wasn’t an entirely sweet offer, but it was also a little confusing.

“You wanna make dinner? For me and my kids?” she checked.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Nico countered, referring to a time she barely recalled given how out of it she had been,

Dani nodded that she understood, whilst watching Ray Jay start to help with unpacking the bags that contained fresh vegetables and a bottle of wine, amongst other things. The teen looked impressed, but certainly not moved enough to offer to help with the prep at all. He was running off to tell Lindsay they had company and good food coming before Dani had a chance to say anything else.

“You’re staring, Dr Santino,” Nico pointed out to her with a smirk, the expression only fading when he turned to look her way and realised her expression wasn’t entirely happy now. “I thought I was doing a nice thing, but if you want me to go...”

“No. No, Nico, I’m sorry,” she apologised immediately, grabbing his arm before he could decide to pack up and go. “I really didn’t mean for you to think that, I’m just... I guess I’m not used to this. Y’know to having a guy show up and offer to be so kind and helpful.”

“Maybe you should get used to it,” he replied, looking down over his shoulder at her.

It was moments like this that made Dani wonder what he was thinking, what this friendship between them really was or might be later. She never actually asked, she wouldn’t dare. Right now, she wasn’t even going to get the chance to contemplate it.

“Hey, Nico,” Lindsay forced a smile through a veil of tears as she appeared in the doorway with her brother.

“Lindsay,” he nodded a greeting to her. “I thought maybe you guys could use a little help with dinner. Don’t want your Mom getting over-worked again, and I haven’t checked in with you in a while. Everything okay?” he asked, even though it was clear they weren’t; he already knew the answer better than anyone could suspect.

“My boyfriend turned out to be an asshole,” she shrugged like it was no big deal, even as her lip wobbled some. “It happens.”

“Unfortunately, it does,” he agreed, knowing from experience the way relationships could be. “In that case, good job I also brought dessert,” he smiled then, pulling a quart of ice-cream out of a grocery bag and showing her.

Dani was thrilled to see a genuine smile come to her daughter’s lips then, as Lindsay looked gratefully at Nico;

“Y’know, you’re pretty awesome.”

* * *

It didn’t feel so very weird to have four people around the table for dinner. After all, the Santino family had regular visitors since Ray left, whether it was Dani’s Ma, or Lindsay’s friend Winter, or Jeanette. What was strange was the extra person being another guy. Dani was a little apprehensive about it, or she felt like she should be, except the kids never even flinched. It probably helped that Nico hadn’t come into the house as anything but a friend. They didn’t see the guy as threat to Ray, another father figure or anything, he was just a friend, plain and simple. It made things easier for now, so Dani chose not to worry about it.

The meal was delicious, no doubt about that, and it was the only reason there wasn’t much talk at the table. Everybody wanted to be eating the food that Nico had prepared mostly by himself. Dani had offered assistance, but he wouldn’t let her do much. He pointed out her tendency to take on too much again and made a fuss about her sitting still with her glass of wine, relaxing whilst she had the chance. She had watched him move around the kitchen like an expert, knowing where everything was. She almost questioned it until she remembered he had probably done this before, one of those nights when she was barely conscious and the kids needed feeding.

Lindsay and Ray Jay had certainly taken to Nico as if they’d known him forever, and he chatted with them like an old friend might. Dani wasn’t sure she ever heard him talk so much as he did with her teenage son and daughter. It was nice, if not confusing. He was so mysterious and secretive most of the time. It had taken weeks for her to find out he was from Pittsburgh and even longer to discover he had been in the Navy Seals. There was no doubt about it, Nico was a puzzle, and Dani had a mind to want to solve him.

“You okay, Dani?” he asked when he caught her staring (again), something she had barely been aware she was doing in the first place.

“Yes. Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him with a smile, shoving another forkful of her food into her mouth. “Y’know, this is really delicious. I didn’t know you could cook.”

“You didn’t ask,” he smirked annoyingly as he continued to eat his own meal.

“Oh, Mom, you should try his ravioli,” Ray Jay enthused around his own mouthful. “It’s out of this world!”

“Okay...” said Dani with a pointed look at Nico - she never heard her kids so quick to give praise.

“I’m sure it’s not better than your Mom could make,” the fixer ducked his head as he ate, almost embarrassed apparently.

“Her chicken parmesan is pretty hard to beat,” said Lindsay, doing pretty well with her own meal despite protestations about not being hungry before. “You should make it next time Nico comes over, Mom,” she told Dani, with a hint of a smile.

“Oh,” Dani reacted with surprise at her daughter just inviting Nico over like that. “Um well... Yeah, sure. Why not?” she said eventually, wondering why she was about to make a big deal. “If you wanna come,” she said, looking to Nico for a response.

Before he had a chance to give his answer, the phone rang. Dani would have ignored it, especially since most emergencies came via the man who was already here, but something told her she shouldn’t. It could be her mother or her lawyer or someone equally as important. Maybe even T.K. come to his senses about his new therapist. Excusing herself, she jumped up from her chair and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

Both the kids and Nico watched her expression shift as she realised who she was speaking to.

“Oh, hey, JD. Um... No, no, it’s fine.”

“Who’s JD?” Lindsay whispered to her brother, as Dani moved through to the next room to take her phone call.

“I dunno, somebody from work?” he suggested in a similarly hushed tone.

Both teens looked to Nico for an answer on that one. Since his mouth was full of wine, he just shook his head. He listened intently as the kids discussed their theories. Whether or not J.D. would be male or female and where Dani might’ve met this person. He had two options in his own mind. Either J.D. was a patient, which would make the conversation private, or he was a guy that was interested in Dani. That second option almost made him wish he hadn’t recently eaten, though Nico didn’t want to think about why that was right now.

“Okay,” said Dani with too big a grin as she returned to the room. “Who’s ready for dessert?”

* * *

Dani watched with wide eyes as her teenage kids cleared the things off the table and went off to the kitchen to load the dishwasher and take out the trash. She almost laughed as she looked back at Nico in astonishment.

“Okay, here’s to you,” she said, holding out her wine glass to clink against his own. “Anybody who can get my kids to do any household chores without a fight at least deserves a toast.”

“I only asked them, it’s not a big deal,” he shrugged, sipping his drink. “I cooked, so they cleaned up. It’s just polite, and I know you raised them to be polite, Dani. You wouldn’t let them be any other way.”

“I did my best,” she smiled, grateful that he had noticed she was at least trying here.

It wasn’t easy raising children, everybody knew that. Throw in a divorce when those kids were teenaged hormone-bombs with enough problems of their own, and it was a miracle to Dani how well-adjusted Lindsay and Ray Jay really were.

“They’re good kids,” Nico assured her, “and you’re a good Mom.”

“Thank you,” she almost blushed at the compliment. “Y’know you’re really good with them. You sure you don’t have some family of your own stashed away somewhere? Some stealthy, ultra-smart kids that look just like you,” she teased.

Dani didn’t expect the darkness that came over Nico’s face then. He was pretty stoic most of the time, at work especially, but here in her home, things had been different. He laughed and joked like any normal person. He got along with the kids and complimented her. Dani couldn’t find fault with anything about this evening they had all spent together, until now. Something had shifted. It was all suddenly awkward and bad. Nico was getting up from his seat and Dani just wanted to take back the words that had only ever been a joke.

“I should go, leave you all in peace,” he said, turning away.

“You’re leaving already?” checked Lindsey as the kids returned from the kitchen.

“I have to,” the fixer replied, barely looking back as he went to the hallway to retrieve his coat.

Dani hurried after him, telling the teens she would see their guest out.

“Thanks for dinner, man,” Ray Jay called, even as Nico slipped out of the front door, with Dani on his heels.

“Hey,” she called after him from the porch, making him turn back on the steps.

Nico was being an idiot and he knew it, running away like a fool just because she mentioned a subject he had already thought about too much recently. He turned around to face a very confused and almost hurt Dani, hating himself for being such an fool.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised, something he rarely ever did but needed to now, he knew. “I just... I really do need to go.”

“If I said anything that upset you...” she tried to apologise herself, but he shook his head.

“No, it’s not your fault,” he assured her, forcing a half smile. “Honestly, Dani, it was a great evening. If the invitation is still open, I’d love to come taste that chicken parmesan you’re so famous for.”

She found a smile too at the remark and nodded.

“You’re always welcome,” she promised him, hugging herself against the chilly night air.

They shared a smile then before he turned to walk away. She let him go this time, since there was nothing more to say. It had been a good evening, even though it ended strangely. Dani wondered if she would ever truly figure out the mystery that was Nico. The man himself was left trying to decide how much he really wanted her to.


	4. Chapter 4

It was days since Dani really talked to Nico. Sure, she saw him around at work, but he was in and out of meetings with Coach at the speed of light, and barely spoke to her at all. She was starting to wonder if he was avoiding her, but then second-guessed that she was just being paranoid. It had happened before where they saw little of each other because they were both just busy, and she really hadn’t thought about it much. Things seemed to have changed recently, they had become friends rather than just work colleagues and this distance she was feeling bothered her.

Maybe it mattered so much because of the way they parted that night at her house. They’d had a lovely dinner, the two of them and the kids all together. Something Dani said set off a trigger that made Nico want to run, that much she was certain on, and yet she couldn’t figure out what it was.

Going over and over their conversation in her head and all she could think was that she made him uncomfortable by saying he was good with the kids. Maybe he felt she was trying to pull him into her family, make him a new father for her children. Dani hated that she might have come off desperate or needy in such a way, or that in doing so she alienated a man she was enjoying having around. He was a good friend to have, Nico had proved that to her when she really needed him. Losing him just when they had started to get closer, it made Dani feel awful, mostly because she was sure it was all her fault.

Nico said otherwise, of course. When she practically ran after him as he left that night, apologising for whatever she might have said, he had promised it wasn’t her fault, that he just had to go. Maybe he was just telling her a kind lie, he wouldn’t be the first. She sighed without really noticing she was doing it, until Matt poked her in the arm.

They were all supposed to be paying attention to Coach Parnell and his worries about T.K.’s new therapist. This Laz person was trouble, everybody seemed to think so, and Dani should be paying more attention. Instead she had appeared to be falling asleep or something. Yeah, that didn’t look so good.

As the meeting ended and they all filed out of the room, Dani completely missed Matt’s attempt to ask if she was okay. She was too busy giving chase when Nico escaped through the door ahead of her. They needed to to have a conversation and it wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“Nico!” she called as she hurried behind him, click-clacking down the hallway in her heeled shoes - he couldn’t fail to know she was there.

“Dr Santino,” he said as he whirled around to face her. “Did you need something, Dani, because I need to be somewhere?” he told her, perhaps a little too sharply.

He didn’t mean to be so abrupt. He liked Dani a lot, maybe more than he should, but he had gotten too close for a moment there and now he knew what would come next. She was a therapist, she couldn’t help but turn a conversation into a psycho-analysis sometimes, and Nico was all too aware of his own strange behaviour the other night at the Santino house. He couldn’t explain himself, and he hated to lie. His only other option seemed to be avoidance tactics, at least until now.

“Hey, I don’t feel like I’ve seen you since that night we had dinner,” she told him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied easily. “And we’ve seen each other most days at work,” he reminded her, even though they both knew that was not at all what she meant.

The squint with which she looked up at him proved she wasn’t buying and she wasn’t happy.

“Why are you so hard to talk to sometimes?” she huffed, feeling more frustrated than she expected to somehow.

“I’m not,” Nico replied without a pause. “I’m actually a very straightforward person,” he explained. “You’ve known me long enough by now, Dani, you should know I keep my promises and I don’t tell lies. How could I be any more plain and simple?”

Dani stared up into his eyes and knew he meant every word. When she thought about it, he really didn’t lie. Though it had felt as if it took forever to prise Pittsburgh and the Navy SEALS out of the guy, she knew that when she asked him a question straight out, he did tell her the answer, and it was always true, she was sure of it.

“Okay, so if you’re so straightforward, answer my question,” she prompted, hands on her hips because she meant business here. “What made you run out of my house that night and avoid me ever since?”

Nico tried not to flinch at the question. After just assuring her he never lied, and not wanting to start now, especially with her, the only option left was to be honest. Unfortunately, this topic contained land-mines aplenty, secrets that weren’t just his to tell.

“It’s, er... it’s not something I can talk about here,” he said eventually, that being at least a form of truth.

Dani was pretty sure she would know if he just broke his own rule and lied. He hadn’t as far as she could tell. Satisfied she had at least gotten a true statement out of him, she stepped in closer so no-one would hear.

“Then we’ll talk somewhere else, sometime soon,” she told him more than asked. “Please, Nico, I know something is wrong here. I don’t have to be a therapist to see it.”

All that was wrong in this moment was how close to him she was standing, that was all Nico could think as he looked down into her eyes. The memory of one sweet, albeit accidental, kiss flashed through his mind. Hours spent in the Santino house, getting comfortable around the place and with her kids. It was all so far removed from his usual solitary life. Letting people in never ended well, he tried to remind himself, but already Nico was sure it was too late for that.

“I wanna help you,” she said when he was silent too long, sparking something in his mind that made him tense.

“We don’t all need your help, Dani,” he snapped too harshly and he knew it. “Focus on T.K., that’s what you’re here for. It’s what we’re all here for,” he said, as he turned and strode away then, leaving Dani stood staring with her mouth wide open.

There was this generalisation that women had mood swings and PMT issues. Men suffered just the same way, she knew, and for the life of her, therapist or not, she would never quite learn how to deal with them.

* * *

Dani picked up her phone when a text message made it buzz. She smiled when she saw J.D. was checking in with her, but the expression didn’t quite make it to her eyes. Somehow she had thought it would be Nico, explaining his behaviour earlier or apologising or something. Jeanette didn’t see anything but the grin.

“Ooh, smiley,” she reacted with a similar look of her own. “Who was that? Could it be the handsome Dr Aldridge?” she asked, popping a grape into her mouth right after.

“Yes, it was J.D.” her friend rolled her eyes. “He’s kind of persistent,” she admitted, not making it clear how she felt about that either way.

“Persistent is good. He likes you Dani, and you are allowed to be liked, y’know?” she told her definitely. “Just because Ray was an idiot, not all men are blind to the gorgeousness of you,” she told her friend, pointing a finger at her. “You, Dani Santino, are a catch.”

“Thank you,” she replied graciously, before turning her attention back to her cell.

She had written a reply at least six times, only to delete it and start over. J.D. seemed set on taking her out on a date, and so far Dani had evaded the topic. She was busy, she had the kids to think of, any excuse would do, and yet she wasn’t entirely sure why she was making any of them. Jeanette didn’t understand either, and apparently she wasn’t standing for it anymore.

“Come on, just go for it!” she said, pulling the cell from Dani’s grasp and preparing to reply for her.

“No!” her friend protested, snatching the phone back. “As much as I love you, I am not letting you answer on my behalf,” she laughed at Jeanette’s shocked expression, as she held the cell phone over her head - a pointless move since she was that much shorter.

“There’s a reason why you don’t want to go out with him,” Jeanette’s eyes narrowed as she observed her friend. “Is it the Matt thing? Because I thought he moved on to blonder pastures?

“He did, and I’m fine with that,” said Dani with a nod of her head.

It was strange how much she really meant that. Before, it might have felt like a lie to say she was okay with Matt and Laura, but it was only now that she realised it was true. When things had changed, she couldn’t exactly say, or rather she could and that was what bothered Dani the most.

“Okay, not Matt,” said Jeanette, trying to see Dani’s face when she ducked her head. “Another guy? Ooh, seriously, Dani, is there another guy?” she asked, bouncing around like a teen on a sugar high.

It made Dani laugh, which saved her from having to answer for a moment. She could tell her best friend anything, at least she should be able to. At the same time, she wasn’t really sure that she had anything to tell her. She wasn’t dating anyone else, not even close, and yet every time she thought about getting close to J.D. she felt bad about it, almost as if she were cheating, and she knew why.

“It’s complicated,” she sighed eventually, sitting back down on her stool with a bump. “You remember the other guy at my work? Nico?”

“Mysterious security guy?” her friend checked, knowing she had never met him but had definitely heard the name mentioned.

“Yup” Dani agreed, popping the p. “You know how good he was with the kids and helping take care of me when I was sick, and then... Oh, I don’t know, Jeanette, things are just different, like we’re good friends now, but then he bottles up on me and I hate that,” she said, slamming her fists on the counter in frustration. “He’s like the nicest guy and the most frustrating guy I ever met,” she half-growled as she said it, making Jeanette laugh.

“Oh, honey, he’s just got you dangling on a string,” she chuckled, feeling bad for Dani really but unable to help being a little amused too.

“I don’t like it,” she complained grumpily, resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on the counter. “I want a simple life, Jeanette, is that too much to ask?”

“Then take the easy option,” she shrugged easily. “Call the easy guy and make the easy date. This Nico guy can dangle on his own string for a while, might do him some good.”

Dani knew that was mean, playing games, but Jeanette had a point anyway. J.D. liked her and wanted to date her. She liked him too and couldn’t come up with a decent reason not to enjoy at least one evening in his company. Nico was complicated and she didn’t even know if she liked him that way, never mind how he felt about her. Maybe it was best not to mix business with pleasure anyway. It hadn’t worked out with Matt, no reason to suspect it would with anyone else either.

“The kids are at Ray’s over the weekend,” she considered, looking down at her cell, spinning it around on the counter top with one finger. “I could go out with J.D., see how things work out... nobody ever has to know,” she said, glancing up at Jeanette as if she needed her approval to make the next move.

“Do it!” she clapped encouragingly, and all the more so when Dani started to text.

Jeanette’s smile slipped a little when she thought about how she would be leaving very soon. She wouldn’t be here to help Dani out next time her rediscovered love-life hit a bump in the road. She really should tell her, but right now she couldn’t bear to knock her down just when she was building herself up. There was time yet, she could save her news for another day. Dani was happy and smiling about her date, and if things did work out with J.D., Jeanette wouldn’t have to worry about her friend quite so much anymore. That was a good thing, most definitely.

* * *

Nico felt stupidly emotional as he held the letter in his hand and read it over again. Juliette was a good kid, too good for the crap she let herself get into. Taking her to rehab had been one of the hardest things for him to do, but ultimately it had to have been the right choice. She was making progress it seemed, if her letter was anything to go by. Part of her program was to apologise to those her addictions had hurt, and Nico was flattered to realise he was top of her list.

Juliettete spoke of regret and tears she had cried on realising what she must have put him through. She talked about her parents, how he had been more of a father than Marshall Pittman ever was. Those particular words made him want to laugh and cry all at the same time. If only she knew, and yet he would never tell her what he thought must be true.

Nico tossed the the letter on the coffee table and covered his eyes with his hand. Today had been a rough day, not just because work had gotten all the more complicated since Terrence shifted his therapy from Dani to Lazarus. He really shouldn’t have snapped at her before, none of this was her fault.

Maybe he should just tell her what was going on with him, about Juliette and everything. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t trust her. She was a good woman who took her confidentiality clause seriously. Sure, he wasn’t a patient, but he was a friend  by now, at least he hoped so. Perhaps his status would be reconsidered after the way he spoke to her today. Nico owed Dani an apology, that much was obvious to him.

The time on his watch said well past eleven, and Nico knew now wasn’t a great time for a house call. Dani really didn’t appreciate late night visits, not even when it was an emergency. Tomorrow would do just as well, besides, a good night sleep might just help him to get some perspective anyway. He could sure do with some right about now, especially where Dani Santino was concerned.


	5. Chapter 5

Dani was smiling genuinely as she returned home after her date with J.D. He was a really nice guy, on top of the fact he was a complete hottie, and they got along really well. There was nothing she could really find fault with about their evening spent together, and she told him so as he pulled up the car outside her house.

“Thank you, J.D. I had a really good time,” she said with a grin. “It’s been a very long while since I went on a date,” she laughed lightly, “but I’m not sorry that we did this.”

“Me either,” he agreed with a smile almost as wide as her own. “And I am honoured to be your first date since... um, recently.”

J.D. knew he had very nearly put his foot in it then, not that it was really his fault. Dani was going through a divorce. It was no secret and she was glad to be rid of the husband that cheated on her way too many times, with little or no remorse. Still, it was awkward for the potential new boyfriend to bring it up, and they both felt it.

“It’s okay,” she assured him anyway. “I’m glad you’re my first attempt at dating since then. You made it feel easy, and fun like it should be,” she assured him.

It was easier not to mention Matt since her experience with him could hardly be called a date. They met in a bar, drank too much and slept together, and as much as she had enjoyed it, Dani would hardly count that night as her finest hour. Since then, she had met a couple of less than eligible bachelors at a singles’ night her friends dragged her to. The only other men in her life were patients, work colleagues, and Nico.

It was strange to Dani when she realised she categorised everybody else into two piles but thought of the fixer as a seperate entity. T.K. was a patient, Matt was a work-mate, everybody had their place, but not Nico. He was a friend, she knew that, but they did also work together. She shook her head when she realised how much she had been thinking about another man on her date and refocused on J.D. He was getting out of the car now and coming around to open her door for her like a gentleman.

Dani stepped out into the chilly night air and looked up into J.D.’s eyes. He was definitely a good looking man and he really had treated her well this evening. She would be a fool to blow her chances with a guy like this, Jeanette was right on that score.

“You, er... you wanna come in for coffee?” she asked, trying to keep the nervous shake out of her voice.

Coffee was the universal signal for more, and she seemed to remember it too late. She really was only offering a hot beverage here and she hoped J.D. knew that. At the very least she was pretty sure he wouldn’t press his luck if she told him later she wanted no more than a goodnight kiss to happen. He was a decent and trustworthy type of man, that was kind of the point.

As J.D. accepted Dani’s invitation and the two headed inside, neither spotted the car across the street, or the man inside it who was watching them. It wasn’t so late in the evening and Nico had been driving this way anyway. He had thought he ought to get around to making his apologies to Dani for the little spat the other day. She hadn’t been needed at the ground since then and he had been tied up, researching into Lazarus Rollins and fire-fighting for Pittman in other areas. Now here they were on a Saturday night, when Nico knew the Santino kids were staying with their father. It seemed as good a time as any to swing by, on the excuse that Dani might like some company. He could apologise, they could talk, it seemed like he perfect plan in so many ways. All the good reasoning dwindled to nothing when Nico pulled up across the street and looked towards the house that appeared unoccupied.

He called the house phone and got no reply, so went for Dani’s cell number next. His finger had hovered over the call button but he never actually did it. If he called her she would think it was some kind of emergency. He might spoil plans she had for the evening, fun with her girl friends or some therapeutic alone time. No, he didn’t want to do that. Instead he had put away his cell and prepared to drive away, only to see a car approaching the Santino’s driveway then.

In the shadows he sat waiting, watching, only mildly surprised to realise Dani had just returned from what appeared to be a date with a man he had never seen before. Logic suggested perhaps this was J.D. who had been on the phone to Dani that night they all had dinner together. Nico was surprised by how easily he became aggravated by the sight of Dani and this guy, arm in arm, headed towards the house. It was irrational since he was only her friend himself, not a jealous boyfriend.

Nico genuinely considered getting out of the car and heading over there. He was allowed to show up at the Santino house. Dani was his work colleague and a friend now, plus he owed her an apology. Nobody could be mad about a person showing up to apologise, surely. Still, it seemed wrong. Even though he could potentially not realise she was on a date, he would feel awkward, because the truth was he did know. Nico had made big deal out of telling Dani he never lied, and that was the truth. He wasn’t going to go back on those words now, especially not with her.

Starting up the engine, Nico prepared to drive home, leaving Dani to her date. She clearly liked this guy a lot, and he had to hope for her sake that it worked out. After all, if he really was her friend then he would want her happiness in whatever form it took. That didn’t mean he was feeling anything like happy as he put the car in gear and drove away.

“Isn’t that Nico’s car?” asked Lindsay as they passed him on the road.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Ray Jay replied, but couldn’t afford to turn to look as he navigated onto the driveway that already contained another car. “What’s going on?” he asked himself as much as his sister as they both got out of the vehicle.

When Nico came over, sometimes that meant trouble, but he wouldn’t have left if their Mom was in any danger or whatever. Still, there was another car here, so maybe another patient needed late night advice. There was no way in hell it was T.K., Ray Jay was at least sure of that.

“No way would Terrence King be driving a car that uncool,” he declared as they headed inside with their overnight bags.

Things had not gone smoothly over at their father’s house, and home was the only option, no matter the relative lateness of the hour. Lights on in the hall at least prove their mother was still up, and it was likely the owner of the car out front was in there too. It didn’t seem to occur to either of the Santino kids that their Mom might be on a date, not for a second.

Poor Dani was oblivious as the kid’s silently let themselves into the house. She was down the hall in the kitchen, making the coffee she had promised J.D. Well, she had certainly started out preparing drinks, but when he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, she had soon abandoned her task. Turning in the circle of his arms, she was now backed up against the counter, making out with her date like a giddy teenager might. The sight of this was enough to make Lindsay all but scream and Ray Jay drop his bag to the tiled floor with a thump.

“Oh my God! Mom?!” Lindsay complained, as Dani and J.D. sprang apart. “What the hell?”

“Oh, um, hey kids,” their mother said quickly, trying to straighten out her hair and dress. “I, er... I wasn’t expecting you. You were at Dad’s for the night...”

“So you invited some stranger over to clean your tonsils for you?” asked Ray Jay with a look that was far from amused.

Dani’s eyes narrowed at such a comment, and both kids ought to have known that was a bad sign. J.D. shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, trying to decide whether to bolt (which would mean squeezing past the kids) or stay put until the fireworks were over. Neither really appealed if he were honest.

“Ray Jay, Lindsay,” said Dani after a calming breath. “This is J.D. Aldridge. He is a friend of mine, and yes, we have just been out on a date,” she explained, desperately trying not to lose her temper even as Lindsay looked at her like some kind of hypocrite.

“Your divorce isn’t even final yet, and you’re already...? I can’t even!” the teenage girl declared dramatically, storming out of the kitchen.

Dani called after her to wait, but Ray Jay told her not to follow.

“It’s cool, Mom, I’ll go,” he said, eyes shifting back and forth between her and J.D. “I guess it was nice meeting you,” he told his mother’s date, before dashing off after his sister.

Ray Jay wasn’t surprised to find Lindsay’s door locked when he got upstairs, but she didn’t take much cajoling to open up for him. It was their Mom she was mad at and didn’t want to see right now. He got it, kind of. He didn’t want some other guy coming in and replacing his Dad either but that wasn’t exactly a concern yet if Mom and this J.D. guy had only been on one date so far.

“How could she do this to us?” Lindsay cried from her place sat on the end of the bed.

“She’s not doing it to us, Linds,” her brother told her, dropping down into the nearby chair. “She’s trying to be happy is all, and given that she’s our Mom, aren’t we supposed to want that too?” he asked her.

“I know, and I do,” his sister sniffled. “Of course she should be happy, but... but what do we even known about this guy? What does she know about him? He could be anybody!” she declared.

Ray Jay knew she had a point. J.D. had to seem decent or their Mom wouldn’t ever have agreed to date him, but looks could be deceiving and not everyone was as nice as they might appear on the surface.

“Nobody knows everything about a person they just met,” he shrugged. “It’s not like you can run a background check on every person you might wanna be friends with or date or whatever,” he shrugged.

“Oh, yes you can,” his sister smiled then.

It was a devious dangerous sort of a smile that Lindsay only ever wore when she had a plan. It never failed to make Ray Jay nervous. He watched as she pulled out her cell and started dialling. After just two rings, the person on the other end of the line picked up.

“Hey, Nico,” she smiled across at her brother who swiftly shook his head.

This was wrong, and he knew it. Their Mom would go nuts if she found out they had her friend the fixer checking out her potential new boyfriend. Besides, it was an invasion of privacy and morally wrong. All his attempts to say so, as well as signing that she should cut off the call and let it go, did no good. Lindsay was determined in her plan. Since he knew he couldn’t stop her, Ray Jay just came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed beside his sister so he could hear Nico’s voice too.

“Lindsay, I understand your concern, but I can’t look into a guy just because your mother is dating him,” the fixer explained via his hands-free as he drove home. “This J.D. person is probably a perfectly a nice guy. Your Mom must think so or she wouldn’t be dating him.”

“She wouldn’t know if he was a nice guy,” Lindsay insisted. “It took her forever to realise our Dad was supposedly cheating on her. For a therapist, she’s not always that good at judging character.”

“That is true,” Ray Jay chimed in. “C’mon, Nico. For Linds’ peace of mind? She’s just gonna keep freaking out over this if we don’t know for sure this J.D. Aldridge is a good guy.”

Nico tried not to react when he realised he had now gotten the mysterious J.D.’s full name. That gave him the ability to do just exactly what the kids were asking of him. He could look into this guy, find out all about him, for Dani’s sake. He would have done it in a heartbeat if she asked him, but going behind her back just because Lindsay and Ray Jay asked, he knew that was wrong. Still, it was awfully tempting to find some dirt he could expose on this man.

“If I do this,” he said then, “and that’s a big if, you kids have to promise me something.”

“Okay, what do we have to promise?” asked Lindsay seriously.

“You go easy on your Mom about her dating, okay?” he advised them. “She deserves to be happy, and if this J.D. guy can do that for her, and he’s not a threat at all, you have to let her be happy.”

It was harder to say than Nico expected it to be. After all, he wanted happiness for Dani too. She was his friend and a good person, but the more time went on, the more he wondered if that was all there was to it. Talking about her dating other guys certainly wasn’t making him feel great, and that could really only mean one thing - the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head.

“You got a deal, man,” said Ray Jay when lindsay failed to answer quickly enough.

The call ended soon after that and Nico couldn’t help but smile. He had the name he needed without ever having to ask Dani about her new foray into dating, and that was good news. Besides, it was a good thing that he was looking into J.D. Aldridge. It was for Dani’s safety, and as an employee of the Hawks, it was necessary for him to look out for her. That was the only reason he was doing this, of course it was. Apparently Nico’s rule about lying didn’t apply when it came to lying to himself.

* * *

Dani was wearing a smile on Monday morning and Nico wasn’t sure whether he was pleased to see it or not. It ought to mean she and the kids were all okay after they found out about J.D., and in that case Nico was happy for her. At the same time, she could be equally as smiley because she had a new man in her life, and that just felt like a knife twisting in the fixer’s gut. He chose not to think about why that was and he certainly wasn’t about to talk to Dani about it. No, all he wanted to do was clear the air after last week, something he should have done much sooner.

“Hey,” she greeted him, still with the same smile she had been sporting from the other end of the corridor.

“Good morning,” he nodded once, cutting in her way when she tried to pass by into the coach’s office. “Dani, can I speak to you for a second?”

“Sure,” she agreed, that happy expression of hers wavering with a moment’s worry as they moved around the corner away from prying eyes and ears. “What’s up, Nico?” she checked.

“I just, I’ve been meaning to talk to you, to apologise,” he admitted. “Last week, things got a little strained between us and I don’t want it to be that way,” he explained. “I behaved badly and I know I offended you, so I’m sorry for that, Dani,” he told her.

She was smiling again before he was ever done talking.

“Nico, it’s fine,” she promised him, putting a hand briefly to his arm. “Nobody can be in a good mood all the time, and yeah, okay, you were a little snippy, but I was also prying into your business, which probably wasn’t exactly helpful either,” she said as she considered the situation at hand. “I do accept your apology, Nico, but I hope you’ll also accept mine.”

“Of course,” he reacted with a little surprise, never thinking for a moment that she really owed him any kind of apology, but grateful for it none the less. “I wouldn’t want there to be bad feeling between us.”

“And there isn’t,” she promised, with a genuine smile. “I was only prodding so much last week because I care about you, you know that right?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed. “I guess, I’m just not used to that, to people caring that much,” he admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets and he shifted awkwardly. “Honestly though, I’m fine now,” he assured her.

“Good,” she nodded happily. “Me too. Actually, I’m a little better than fine,” she admitted with a grin. “I might’ve taken the plunge back into dating this weekend, and it actually went pretty well.”

Nico bit his lip and chose to say nothing that might jeopardise this friendship all over again, just when they got it back on track. He wasn’t supposed to know about J.D. Aldridge or that Dani even had a date at all, until this moment when she told him so. He had looked into the guy quite extensively and so far there was no dirt to share. He would go back to the kids and tell them there was nothing to worry about. That would put their minds at rest and help them to be supportive of their mother when she needed it. Of course, that didn’t mean Nico was done with his digging yet.

“So we’re okay now?” he said eventually, just for the sake of something to say really, as they headed back across the hall to Coach’s office.

“Sure, of course,” Dani nodded easily. “But Nico, if you ever do need to talk, I am here for you. We’re friends now, right?” she smiled brightly up at him.

“We are,” he agreed easily, though inside he was far from comfortable.

Friends was all very well for now, but Nico was already certain it would never be enough in the long term. Maybe that made him a fool, but then wasn’t every man when he was falling in love?


	6. Chapter 6

“So what did you find out?” asked Lindsey, her cell on speaker phone so Ray Jay could hear the answer.

“Nothing incriminating,” Nico replied. “Dr Aldridge is a perfectly decent, normal guy, as far as I can tell, and believe me I know where to look to find out otherwise,” he promised them. “Your Mom is perfectly safe.”

“Then that’s good,” said Ray Jay, wondering at his sister’s look of disappointment. “Right?”

“It is,” the fixer confirmed through the phone. “Now, you kids get to school because I’m not about to be the reason your Mom gets upset with you for being late,” he told them.

“Thanks, Nico,” Lindsey replied before hanging up.

She did appreciate what he had done, looking into a guy that was potentially coming into all their lives in a big way. Still, she had almost hoped there was something about this J.D. person that she could tell her Mom and make her dump him. It wasn’t fair, not really. She did want Mom to be happy and everything, and she knew it wasn’t her fault that Dad had left. It didn’t change the fact Lindsey wasn’t ready for a step-father, or whatever this J.D. wanted to be.

She had no idea of course, as she and Ray Jay picked up their bags and headed off to school, that Nico was sat in his office thinking the very same thing as the teens. The fixer leant back in his chair, still staring at the phone through which he had given Lindsey and Ray Jay the ‘good’ news about J.D. Aldridge. He should be glad that Dani was safe dating the guy she liked. Truth be told, he had almost hoped to find a problem, a reason to get rid of him. Of course, his being a decent stand-up man with no criminal record or questionable tendencies didn’t mean that Nico couldn’t make him go away. Unfortunately, his conscious always got the better of him where Dr Santino was concerned. He couldn’t do that to her, let her think she had lost or driven away yet another man in her life.

Nico would just have to learn to live with the fact that he and Dani were friends only. It was better that way in any case, much less messy, especially since they worked together, and the nature of his job in particular. It didn’t stop Nico thinking about it though. Even guys like him were allowed to dream.

* * *

“And that was when the kids walked in,” said Dani, explaining her date to Jeanette over a cup of coffee.

“Ooh, that had to be fun,” her friend laughed heartily, unable to help herself.

Dani shook her head and sighed.

“Lindsey bolted, Ray Jay followed. J.D. looked like he wanted the ground to just open up and swallow him,” she explained. “I swear to God, I thought it was over. I thought that man is gonna walk out the door and never come back, and the kids are gonna hate me for moving on from their Dad,” she said, with over-the-top arm waving that came naturally amongst all the drama.

“And?” Jeanette prompted, sipping her drink.

“And I was pleasantly surprised,” Dani smiled then. “The kids seemed to get over it crazy easily, which I am still suspicious about, and J.D.... well, he did say he wanted to see me again,” she blushed as she spoke of it.

Jeanette was not quite as excited as her friend expected, in fact she was pretty sedate as she reached across the dining room table to squeeze Dani’s hand.

“I’m so happy for you,” she told her, a shake in her voice that immediately made Dani pay attention.

“Jeanette, what’s wrong?” she asked worriedly, as her friend wiped away a tear before it could really fall.

Clearly there was something up for her to be this upset. Dani wondered if her friend’s romance had ended badly, and talking of her blossoming new one was painful for her. Still, she couldn’t think that was true. Augusto was supposed to be so wonderful and fabulous, and if he had done anything in the past few days to upset Jeanette she would have been quick to tell Dani and plot revenge, she was sure of it.

“Oh sweetie, I should’ve told you this sooner,” said the blonde, fighting to keep her composure. “Augusto, he got a job in Barcelona and, er... he wants me to go with him,” she explained shakily. “I’m leaving, Dani. This time next week, I’ll be long gone.”

She tried to smile through it, because honestly she was pleased to be getting a happy ever after ending with such a wonderful man. The only thing she regretted was leaving Dani behind. They were practically sisters, after all, and had been there for each other since High School.

“No,” Dani gasped in shock and pain. “No, you can’t leave me,” she said desperately, knowing it was unfair. “Jeanette, you’re my... you’re my guidance, you’re always there for me.”

“And I still will be,” she promised, grabbing a hold of Dani’s hands in her own. “Sweetheart, I will be there on the phone or the Skype thingy that all the kids use. I’m not abandoning you, not completey, but I have to do this.”

“Oh, I know you do,” Dani admitted, reaching out to hug her. “I know, and I am happy for you,” she assured her dearest friend. “It’s just I’m gonna miss you so, so much.”

* * *

It was getting late but Dani knew there was no use in going to bed. She wasn’t going to sleep yet, that was for sure. Jeanette had left about an hour before, and Dani still couldn’t stop thinking about what she had told her. She was leaving, flying off to Europe in less than seven days, and that was that. Of course, they would keep in touch, but there was no way it could ever be the same as having her in the same town, just a few streets away. Dani was facing the very real prospect of being without the best friend who had helped her navigate life since age fourteen, and she just could not wrap her head around it.

“Pull yourself together, Santino,” she told herself as she passed the hall mirror. “You’re surviving divorce, you can survive this,” she told herself, though her voice already cracked with emotion before she was done speaking.

It was ridiculous. Jeanette was so confident that Dani would cope just fine without her. She had her awesome job and her wonderful kids and this new man in her life. Of course, the kids weren’t here right now, they were out with their friends, and Dani didn’t expect them back til thirty seconds before curfew as was the norm. As for J.D., she did think about calling him, but guys didn’t appreciate needy women, she knew that. They had only been on one real date so far and that hadn’t exactly ended well.

Dani turned towards the stairs but stopped when there was a knock on the door. Thinking maybe Lindsey or Ray Jay had forgotten their keys she didn’t even think to check who was there before she opened the door. It was a surprise to find Nico on her front porch, even if she should be used to him calling around by now.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile. “I was... Are you okay?” he seemed to forget what he was originally going to say then, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her.

Dani knew what he was seeing - red puffy eyes and tear tracks. The man was trained to notice things, it wasn’t a stretch for him to see she had been bawling like a child on and off all evening. Any fool could have noticed it, and Nico was smarter than most.

“Me? I’m fine,” she lied. “I was just talking to my friend before and I just...”

It was as far as she got before she knew no more words would come. Dani bit her lip and tried to fight it, but suddenly there were fresh tears cascading down her cheeks and she couldn’t hold it in. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth and she just felt so stupid and childish right now. Nico clearly didn’t think she was so dumb, only in need of some comfort. In a moment, he had stepped inside the door and pulled Dani into his arms, hugging her close.

This was not like her at all, to just up and burst into tears. Dani was always so strong, and though Nico doubted she could hold it together all the time, he never expected her to break down in front of him like this.

“Hey, where’s this coming from?” he asked as he held her tight and rubbed her back comfortingly. “If someone has upset you Dani, this J.D. guy you’re dating or whoever it is...?”

“No, it’s not J.D.,” she confirmed as she pulled her head up off his chest and sniffled some. “It’s...” she stopped short of explaining then as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand then glanced up to meet his gaze. “Wait a second, how do you know I’m dating J.D.?” she asked suspiciously.

Of course she understood he had heard the name that night he was here for dinner. Still, she had never told him that was the same guy she went out with on the weekend. Her eyes narrowed to a squint as she stepped out of the circle of his arms, and Nico knew he was in some trouble.

“Lindsay and Ray Jay talked to me about it,” he told her, which was at least true, because they had,.

It wasn’t exactly a complete non-lie since he had realised the couple were dating when he was sat outside her house the other night. He also held his tongue regarding his research into the other man. After all, she hadn’t asked anything like that so it wasn’t really a lie to keep it a secret.

Dani looked as if she were seriously considering his words for a long moment. It wasn’t totally crazy to think her kids had mentioned J.D. to Nico. They could’ve seen him, talked to him, it had happened before. The last thing she wanted to do was accuse a good friend of lying, she had so few people she could trust already, and one of those was leaving her.

“My best friend; Jeanette,” she began explaining then, having shaken off her odd feeling about what Nico might know about her new guy. “She’s leaving town, leaving the country actually, to go to Europe with her boyfriend,” she told him, trying not to get upset all over again. “I, er... I don’t really know how to get along without her,” she admitted, forcing a smile through her veil of tears.

“Losing people we care about is always hard, however it happens,” Nico sympathised, pulling a clean handkerchief from his inside pocket and handing it to her, “but you’re not alone, Dani” he promised her.

She smiled at the words and the kind gesture, taking the handkerchief from him.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, the two words carrying much more weight than they might’ve at any other time. “Really, Nico, you’ve really been there for me recently and I appreciate that a lot,” she told him.

He only smiled, and then felt stupidly awkward when she turned around to peer into the hall mirror, cleaning up her face. Even as she was now, all running mascara and red cheeks, she was still beautiful to him. Nico thought about saying so but guessed he was better off not.

“So,” said Dani, speaking to him via the mirror where she could see him over her shoulder. “You must’ve come here for a reason, and I don’t think it was for me to cry all over your shirt,” she smirked some, back to being good old snarky Dani in a second.

“Er, yeah” said Nico, literally scratching his head, almost as if he had to fight to remember what he even came her for. “Pittman isn’t happy about this Lazarus Rollins getting so close to Terrence,” he explained. “Given the information we have on this guy, it can only end badly. I talked to Coach Parnell and we agreed the only person we believe would stand a chance in getting through to T.K. is you,” he told her.

“I’m flattered but I’m not sure I have your confidence in me,” Dani shook her head, starting to walk towards the kitchen and gesturing for him to follow. “T.K. didn’t take kindly to my trying to help him before, what makes now any different?”

“Well...” Nico opened his mouth to explain, but stopped short in the kitchen doorway, practically running into Dani’s back.

“Ma, when did you get here?” she asked her mother who was sat up on a stool with a cup of coffee in one hand, the other marking off horses in the paper.

“Danielle!” she looked up from her ‘work’ with a smile, putting down her coffee and throwing her arms wide as if wanting a hug. “I came in the back door, and heard voices. I didn’t want to interrupt whatever was going on here,” she said with a vague gesture between Dani and Nico as they both stepped further into the room.

Dani’s eyes were wide as saucers and Nico did his best not to smirk at all at that remark - it wasn’t easy. He liked Dani’s mother, despite the worry that at one time she was using confidential information about Hawks-related clients to her advantage. She spoke her mind and she was fiercely protective of her family. Dani was a lot like her, even if she didn’t realise it and would probably deny it to her last breath.

“Ma, you remember Nico from my work?” said Dani pointedly. “He helped out when I was sick and he is a friend of mine; that is all,” she said definitely.

“Of course I remember, Danielle,” her mother rolled her eyes. “Would you forget a man that looks like that, can cook like a professional, and plays a mean hand of poker? I know I wouldn’t,” she said, sending a wink towards Nico.

At that he did allow himself a smile, and then decided now was a good time to leave. He had said what he came to say to Dani, he had done his best to comfort her in a time of distress. All he was doing now by staying was giving her mother ammunition to be embarrassing, if not amusing.

“Thank you, Mrs Romano,” he nodded graciously. “Now I think I should leave you ladies to your evening. I’ll see myself out,” he told Dani when she turned to follow him.

The moment he was gone, and Dani did check the front door had closed behind him first, she turned back to her mother, slamming a hand on the counter and making Angela jump.

“Oh my God!” she gasped in shock. “How could you be that way in  front of Nico?” she asked. “I haven’t been so embarrassed since you and Dad come home to find me making out on the couch with Bobby Radnor in the eighth grade!” she declared, covering her face with her hands.

“What’s to be embarrassed about? He’s a nice young man, who looks good, wants to take care of you, and doesn’t seem like he’d be afraid of much,” Angela shrugged easily. “Sweetheart, if you don’t go for him, I just might.”

“Ma, enough!” Dani said with a look of horror. “If you must know, I have a new guy in my life, a guy I like that I am dating.”

Her mother looked at her over the top of her glasses. There was no shortage of suspicion written in her looks, but Dani tried not to notice. It still surprised her sometimes how easily her Ma could read her like a book. She was supposed to be the trained psychologist not her mother, and yet she could’ve sworn she was reading her thoughts right now.

“So, tell me all about this other new hottie you have hidden away.” she said after a while, pushing her paper aside.

“Well, his name is J.D Aldridge...” Dani began, making quite the impressive speech about her supposed new boyfriend.

Angela was unmoved for the most part. She had her own opinions on her daughter’s love life and who ought to be a part of it. Still, Dani was head-strong and bound to do just the opposite of what she was advised by her well-meaning mother. (Poor Danielle, she genuinely wondered where Lindsay got that trait from!) No, it was better to let her realise for herself that this so-called romance with J.P. or whatever his name was, wouldn’t last. It seemed mostly built on looks, a chance meeting, and long dead history. Nico would be a much better fit for her and the family, Angela was certain of it, and when Dani came to realise it too, there would be an ‘I told you so’, no doubt about that.


	7. Chapter 7

Dani liked J.D. Aldridge, she genuinely did. After their first date, she was sure she wanted another and had graciously accepted when he asked. Now she was actually here and something wasn’t feeling right. For a woman that made her living helping others to puzzle out what their true feelings were and how to handle them, the great Dr Santino was really struggling with her own emotions right now.

There was absolutely no reason for her not to be having a wonderful time in J.D.’s company. He was a good looking man, sweet and attentive, good sense of humour, she could find no fault at all. He had brought her to a nice restaurant, been a complete gentleman, and treated her like a lady. Dani was failing to find a reason not to be completely happy and in fact head over heels by now, but she wasn’t.

To start off with, she just figured she was still feeling down about Jeanette. Losing her best friend to a new man and a whole other continent, that was bound to make anyone feel less than happy, and yet that didn’t seem to be the problem right now. Dani’s mind wandered when J.D. got to talking a lot, and honestly, it wasn’t her best friend that was on her mind, but another man.

Nico Careles, the original mystery man. Dani had always wondered about him, trying to figure out exactly what his deal was. He was pretty secretive, but then she guessed he had to be for the kind of work he did. Still, if she asked him a question he did always answer, and assured her he would never lie. Being a pretty good judge of character (except when it came to husbands perhaps) Dani was sure he meant it when he told her that, and that everything he said to her was the complete truth.

It wasn’t that J.D. wasn’t as honest as Nico, Dani would never accuse him of that. He was probably a lot more straightforward to deal with than her fixer friend, and yet her brain wouldn’t focus on the man in front of her, only on the one she had lately started to lean on.

“Dani?” J.D. prompted when she failed to answer his question.

“I’m sorry, what?” she checked.

“Are you okay?” he asked then, as she shook off the daze she seemed to have fallen into.

“Sure, yeah. I’m fine,” she told him, knowing it was a complete falsehood.

This was not right, and by now Dani had firmly decided it was all her mother’s fault. She had not thought about Nico in any kind of romantic or sexual way until Ma put the idea in her head. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, Dani thought to herself then. When they first met, she noticed he was hot, she’d have to be blind not to. Being a man of mystery, it did have a certain allure, and nothing was as attractive as a man that cared, not only about a woman but her kids as well. There was a dopey smile on Dani’s face that she removed the moment she realised she was wearing it. There was no way to explain to J.D. what the look as for and if he thought it was for him, well, that just might complicate things later when... when, what? When she dumped him?

The thought raced through Dani’s head unbidden, and then raced back in and refused to leave. This date was not as fun as it should be. Half the time when J.D. was talking, she wasn’t listening, and the amount of time she spent with her mind on another man was just inappropriate when out on a date like this.

Maybe all the signals were telling her she had made a mistake in ever agreeing to go out with her ex-professor. Jeanette had been all for it and Dani let herself get steam-rollered into the decision when she wasn’t entirely sure about it in the first place. Even then, she had Nico on her mind. Not that she blamed her BFF. Jeanette had Dani’s best interests at heart and had admitted she only wanted to see her friend settled before she jetted off to Europe, leaving her effectively alone. Still, it was no use Dani being with a guy for the sake of not being single. If she couldn’t feel deeply enough for him, then dating him became more than a little pointless.

The waitress came to take away the dessert dishes and Dani took her elbows off the table to let her clear it.

“Er, two coffees please?” said J.D., startled when his date cut in to disagree so suddenly.

“No! Thank you... er, just the cheque please,” she smiled politely at the waitress, hoping she hadn’t just made a fool of herself. “I’m sorry,” she told J.D. as he looked at her with confusion hen. “I’m getting a headache.”

That part was at least true, her head did hurt, but Dani suspected that was mostly her own fault for just over-thinking everything tonight. She felt guilty when J.D. gave her sympathy for her pain, swiftly paying their bill, and then taking her arm to lead her outside to the car.

A part of the good doctor knew she didn’t deserve his kindness when she was just now seriously considering the best way to tell him they probably shouldn’t see each other anymore. She had to be crazy, Dani knew that, as J.D. opened the passenger door for her and she slid into the car. He was such a great guy, and he clearly wanted to make her happy. Already she was planning on ending things, after just two dates, and all because she couldn’t get another man out of her head, who had made no moves to get closer to her himself!

They were almost back to the Santino house when Dani had a thought.

“Um, could you maybe drop me off at the corner?” she asked J.D. before he got too close to her home.

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” her date agreed. “Can I ask why?”

“It’s the kids,” she half-lied. “I mean, they seem okay about me dating and all but... well, I don’t wanna rub it in there face right now. They’re still pretty upset about their Dad leaving and everything.”

“I get it, Dani. I do,” he assured her, only serving to make her feel worse.

It would be so much easier to end things with J.D. if he was unreasonable in some way, but he just kept on being so decent. Dani had no idea what she was doing anymore. Tonight would not be the night she dumped J.D., that much she was sure of, but she was going to have to give it serious consideration before she agreed to a third date. Right now, she really couldn’t see that next outing happening.

Pulling up the car around the corner from the Santino house, J.D. killed the engine and turned in his seat to face Dani.

“Well, I had a great night,” he told her with a winning smile. “I’m only sorry you can’t really say the same.”

“I can. I did,” she floundered. “I mean... it’s just this darn headache,” she sighed, hoping she didn’t sound like a complete idiot, and was at least a little believable right now.

J.D. seemed to buy it. He pulled Dani a little closer, leaning over to plant a kiss on her forehead.

“Go, get some sleep,” he advised. “Feel better.”

Dani nodded and then let herself out of the car, quick as she could.

“Thank you, J.D.” she smiled back through the open window at him.

He gave her a wave before putting the car in gear and driving away.

Dani watched him go, and then shivered against the cool night air. Out in the dark was not a good idea, she really did need to get home. Her bed was beckoning and she hurried down the street to her house as fast as she could in the heels she wore.

When Dani got inside and went looking for them, she found the kids in the living room, watching a movie together on TV.

“Hey Mom,” Ray Jay smiled as he spared her a brief glance.

“You’re back kinda early for a date,” Lindsay frowned some as she checked the mantle clock again. “Do you not like this guy anymore?” she asked, just this side of hopeful somehow.

“No, it was fine,” Dani insisted, unable to carry on her headache untruth to her children - they mattered too much to even tell a little white lie right now.

“Really? It was fine?” her daughter checked, much to Ray Jay’s annoyance as he turned up the volume on the TV to hear better. “The weather is fine. Dates are supposed to be fun, at the very least, right?”

“It was fine,” Dani repeated, looking a little exasperated. “Seriously, Linds, you want a blow by blow of your mothers date?”

“Eeeeew!” both kids responded in unison, much to their mother’s amusement.

The truth was there was no real detailed description to share about her date anyway. They ate a decent meal and J.D. had talked a lot about... things. Then they came home again. Nothing exciting, nothing fun, just fine.

Shaking herself out of another momentary daze, Dani headed upstairs to clean off her make up and change into more comfortable clothes. Staring into the mirror as she brushed out her hair and wiped off the last of her lipstick, Dani sighed.

Lindsay was right, dates were supposed to be fun, and the first one with J.D. had felt as if it were. What had changed, Dani wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe she just let herself get all swept up in the moment last time, or perhaps it really was what her mother had said that made the difference. Reality had set in on her fantasy of falling for J.D. and she suddenly realised he was actually kind of ordinary. Maybe whatever she felt for him was purely an old crush mixed up with Jeanette’s encouragement. She didn’t blame her friend, or her Mom, or anyone really. Dani just didn’t feel for J.D. what she thought she did, and that wasn’t a crime. She refused to worry too much about it. Instead, she would spend a little quality time with her kids and then get herself a good night’s sleep so she could face a new day of work.

Heading downstairs, Dani forced herself in between Lindsay and Ray Jay on the couch, settling in to see the remainder of the movie. With her arms around both her kids, Dani finally felt comfortable and happy this evening.

Screw men, she didn’t need them.

* * *

Dani woke up on the couch with a start. The kids were gone, and a note stuck to the table told her they had headed to bed but hadn’t wanted to wake her. She was pretty sure she fell asleep before the movie ever finished, since she had no clue about the ending. Dani ran her hands over her face and sighed - she seriously hadn’t realised quite how tired she was.

A knock on the door had her on her feet in a second and rushing to see who was there. She did pretty well, even in her tight dress and high heels, and was soon there by the door, pulling the curtain aside to see who was calling. A smile lit up her face when she realised it was the one man that had been on her mind all night.

“Nico,” she breathed as she opened the door, but he didn’t reply.

There was an intensity in his eyes that might have been scary if it wasn’t so thrilling. In a second he was across the threshold, his hands at her waist and his lips on hers. Dani couldn’t breathe and didn’t care to as he kissed her until her knees started to buckle and the whole world went away. Man, she hadn’t felt like this since she was a teenager, but Nico was no amateur high school boy, he knew just exactly what he was doing.

When Dani’s feet left the floor without her hardly noticing, Nico still didn’t let up kissing her. Without a word, he carried her up the stairs to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, joining her there. It never occurred to Dani to stop, even though this was crazy and all happening so fast. She wanted this, so badly that it hurt. As her own hands pushed his jacket from his shoulders, Nico’s fingers got tangled up in her hair. His lips moved from her own to trail kisses down her neck, and her whole body felt as if it were on fire when...

Dani woke up on the couch with a start. The kids were gone, and a note stuck to the table told her they had headed to bed but hadn’t wanted to wake her. She was pretty sure she fell asleep before the movie ever finished since she had no clue about the ending. Dani ran her hands over her face and sighed - she seriously hadn’t realised quite how tired she was.

A knock on the door had her on her feet in a second and rushing to see who was there. She was glad she had changed out of the restrictive clothes and shoes she had worn on her date, even if that did mean late-night company seeing her in her sweats. She was soon around at the back door checking through the window to see who was there. She forgot how to breathe when she realised it was the literal man of her dreams.

Shaking her head and forcing a neutral kind of smile onto her lips, Dani opened the door.

“Hey, Nico,” she greeted him, trying her best to look and sound as normal as she could be.

“Dr Santino, I apologise for the late hour,” he told her, all professional as ever, “but I brought you a visitor,” he smiled then, a rarely seen genuine grin that was not usually suitable for his line of work.

Just as Dani was about to ask what on Earth was going on, T.K. stepped into view, looking equal parts pleased to be here and suitably shame faced for his recent behaviour.

“Hey, Dr D,” he greeted her with an awkward smile. “Happy to see me?”

“Actually, T.K., I am,” she told him with a smile of her own, stepping aside from the door to let him in to her office.

She hadn’t really noticed her own sigh of relief until Nico asked her if she was okay.

“You look a little flushed,” he said as she glanced his way.

“I’m absolutely fine,” she told him, trying to remember to breathe as her dream came back to her full force the moment she met his gaze.

A moment later he was gone, bidding her goodnight with a wink and a wave. Dani closed the door and leant her back against it for a moment, before remembering that T.K. was here and needed her help. At least she had some ideas on how to fix his head problems. Her own might prove much trickier to figure out!


	8. Chapter 8

“You’re doing well, Terrence,” Dr Dani assured him as she opened the door for him to leave after his latest session. “I am glad you decided to come back here.”

“Yeah, well, ain’t no big deal,” T.K. shrugged, as he slid his sunglasses back on, then peered over them to look at her. “You a lot nicer to look at than Rollins,” he told Dani with a wink.

“Get out of here, ya big flirt!” she told him, chuckling along with him as she all but slapped his rear for being so cheeky with her.

T.K. laughed long and loud as he headed for the car, calling back over his shoulder that he’d see her again real soon. Dani watched him go with the dumbest grin on her face and she knew it. Sure, having T.K. around almost felt like raising a third child (when he wasn’t being suggestive, because that would be weird!). Still, she meant what she said about being glad he was back here, working with her again. It was good for him, much better than that charlatan Lazarus had been. Besides, Dani genuinely liked Terrence King and really wanted to help him.

With a sigh, she closed the door and turned back into her office. It was one week now since T.K. came back to her for therapy. That night, he was dropped off at her back door by Nico, just moments after Dani had been experiencing the most intense dream about the fixer himself. Thinking of it now still made the most delicious shiver run through her body, and a blush come to her cheeks unbidden. It wasn’t as if Dani never had an erotic dream before, or as if such a thing wasn’t normal for most healthy adult women. The trouble was the other willing participant in her imagined interlude.

Matt had featured heavily in Dani’s dreams since their one hot night together, even though she was a little vague on the details of that event. A combination of appletinis and getting served hadn’t done much for her judgement. Not that she really regretted being with Matt. He was a good guy and meeting him had gotten her this job which she loved, Dani considered, as she headed into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. They had only put their liaision on hold because mixing business and pleasure seemed like a bad idea. Right now she wasn’t so sure that had been her only reason for backing off...

Then there was J.D. He was actually the closest thing Dani had to a boyfriend right now, though two dates and a couple of good kisses hardly constituted a relationship. He hadn’t featured in her fantasies at all as yet, and she was already wondering if she even wanted to see him again. Their second date hadn’t even managed to keep her attention, and she had hardly considered that she had fun, not like the first time. Maybe it was just the thrill of diving back into dating that had made their first night out such a good time. Perhaps J.D. just wasn’t the right guy for her. He liked to talk, which wasn’t a problem because she was a good listener and what he had to say was usually interesting. Still, his world was a million miles from hers, all trips to the Congo and underappreciated books. Dani had kids and a mother to think about, a divorce going through, and a job that took more of her time than she could ever have guessed it might. They just didn’t seem to fit together, and whilst Dani was sure she should make more of an effort, she couldn’t quite find it in her to want to.

As a therapist, Dr Dani ought to know that she was being ridiculous. Since her dream about Nico, she had avoided J.D. as much as she had avoided the fixer. She just couldn’t look her ‘boyfriend’ in the eye after effectively dream-cheating on him, and that was insane. Perfectly normal, well adjusted, faithful women had fantasies about other men. It was fine, it was healthy even. Dani knew that and yet the thought of facing J.D. with those pictures still swimming around in her head felt so wrong. Plus it made her wonder far too much on her feelings for Nico.

She couldn’t like him that way it’d be... impractical. Dani laughed out loud at herself the moment that thought came to mind. Feelings didn’t adhere to rules that way. Impractical or inappropriate rarely stopped people from being attracted to others or even falling in love. These were the things she told other people, her friends and her patients, and yet telling herself seemed a lot tougher somehow.

Suddenly her cell phone rang in her back pocket, and Dani pulled it out, smiling sardonically when she realised who was calling.

“Oh, Nico,” she said to herself or perhaps to the cell phone more than anything. “What would you think if I told you about that dream?” she wondered aloud. “You’d probably laugh,” she muttered as she took the call. “Hey, Nico, what’s up?” she asked in her regular voice, hoping her tone betrayed nothing of what she had been thinking before.

It seemed there was little or no time for niceties as another situation had come up at work and she was needed right away. Dani agreed easily, got her things together, and hurried out to the car. Seeing Nico right now would be strange. She’d been avoiding him as much as J.D. this past week, but the fixer had been a little easier since he didn’t call and text every day asking if she was okay and if they could arrange another date. Somehow that was the part that disappointed Dani most, but she chose to ignore it, shaking off all her dumb guy-related thoughts and putting the car into drive. She had a job to do, and right now, that had to come first.

* * *

  
Nico Careles was not paying attention. He knew the content of this meeting already and of course he knew all about the Hawks curse that had been triggered six years ago by a man whose name must never be spoken within the grounds. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t listening, though it would bother him somewhat if Dani realised how much he was staring at her.

He was a grown man for God’s sakes, not a teenage boy with a crush, and yet every time Nico was around Dani lately his concentration lapsed. The head doctor had certainly gotten inside of his head, though she was uninvited and surely not doing it on purpose. Dani could hardly help it if she was a good person and a feisty woman, both of which he found eminently attractive.

It was a long time since Nico felt this way about a woman. There had only ever been one other and up until recently he would still have had to give serious consideration to if he were still in love with that previous lover. Now he was gaining a little clarity on what it truly was to care about someone, to want to be in their life, and have them always in yours. Nico had a horrible feeling he was falling in love. He was pretty sure both his choice for the target of his affection and his timing could not have been worse.

“So, you see the problem, Dr Dani,” Coach Parnell urged her. “I need you to make this birdy fly away, pronto, before my team start to panic even more than they already are.”

“I will see what I can do,” she sighed heavily, clearly not really believing in this curse business any more than Nico did, and positively exasperated by not even being allowed to say her new patient’s name.

As the meeting ended, Nico cut past Matt when he made to walk out with Dani, encouraging her to follow him in the opposite direction. Though she seemed startled at being practically side-swiped, she went with the fixer, leaving the trainer to look both baffled and a little pained, truth be known. Neither Dani nor Nico really noticed.

“You need something, Nico?” the good doctor asked in all innocence, at least she hoped it came off that way.

The truth was she feared him asking anything that might lead her to saying something stupid or embarrassing herself somehow. Of course there was no way he knew about her dream. She had told no-one, not even Margot, not even Jeanette on the phone the other night. Still, somehow he always seemed to know everything. Dani didn’t think for a moment he could actually read minds, but she did believe just about anything else was possible where Nico Careles was concerned.

“I get the feeling that you’re avoiding me, Dr Santino,” he told her, voice low as he watched a couple of players pass by down the hallway. “I just wondered if there was reason, if perhaps I’ve done something to offend. I don’t want it affecting our work...”

“It won’t, it’s not,” she cut in, only realising afterwards that it was a little rude. “I’m sorry, but honestly, Nico, you did nothing wrong, nothing at all,” she promised him, stopping short of her hand making contact with his arm.

The fixer wasn’t much for touching at the best of times, and yet she had been in his arms just a week or so before, finding comfort when Jeanette had said she was leaving. Still, perhaps it was Dani herself that wasn’t in a place where she could just be so free and easy right now, not with that dream still floating around her in mind.

“Is everything okay with you, Dani?” Nico asked then, all full of concern. “I mean, as much as I worry about your work being affected, I... I do care about you too.”

It took a moment before she really knew what to tell him, how to answer such a thing that could be taken as anything from a simple statement of friendship to a full on declaration of feelings. Dani closed her eyes and shook off what she thought to be her own stupidity. She was reading things into what Nico was saying, and that was no good.

“I’ve been busy lately,” she admitted, the truth in one of its forms at least. “Lots going on, balls in the air, y’know?”

“I suppose having Terrence back on your rosta of patients is making life... interesting,” he smirked a little as he said it. “Plus balancing the kids with the new guy in your life. It’s J.D., isn’t it?” Nico asked, as if he didn’t know all too well!

“It is,” Dani agreed, “but honestly, I...”

She didn’t get a chance to finish as her cell began chiming a signal that she had received another text.

“Excuse me a second,” she said, pulling it out of her purse to check the screen. “Huh, talk of the devil,” she smiled a little as she opened the message from J.D. himself.

Nico tried to resist the urge to read over her shoulder, but failed miserably. Though he saw only a few words, those he took in were significant. Definitely ‘weekend’ and ‘hotel’ were in there.

In an instant, a hot feeling of anger went through the fixer. How dare this guy presume that Dani would want to go away on some dirty weekend with him? But then, Nico was making the assumption that Dani didn’t want to. For all he knew they might already be sleeping together, finding themselves practically in love.

“Oh, I need to make a call here,” said Dani, looking up at Nico then. “I’m sorry, were we done?”

“Yeah, sure,” the fixer agreed with a forced smile, before turning to walk away.

Dani watched him go and sighed. Now she had to do what she had been trying to avoid all week; face J.D. and tell him her decision about their relationship. Facing Nico hadn’t been so hard, maybe this would be okay too. The fact was it was wrong to lead J.D. on and he clearly had the wrong idea about where their relationship was heading. A weekend away was out of the question, for more reasons than she could count right now. Still, if she was going to let him down easy, he deserved a face to face conversation.

“Hey, J.D.,” she smiled as she called him, mostly just so it sounded like she was happier than she was. “Yeah, I got your message. Listen, could you maybe come over to the house later, I need to talk to you about this trip...”

Around the corner, Nico couldn’t help but listen in. It sounded as if Dani was awfully pleased about her invitation from J.D. All he could really want for her was to be happy, and yet, here he was in the hallway, practically wishing he could bang his head against the wall so he could forget he ever got any kind of close to Dani Santino. It seemed that what he thought before was true - the two of them were just not meant to be.


	9. Chapter 9

  
Dani felt horrible as she sat on the couch across from J.D. waiting for him to speak. This break up had taken two attempts and didn’t seem any more fair on the guy for the second try. Last night, she invited J.D. over to talk about their fledgling relationship, only to have Matt call her halfway through. It seemed Phil Kirkman was taking his role as the hawk a little too seriously and was about to take flight off the top of a high rise. Talking him down hadn’t been easy, but thankfully at least Dani’s job still made sense to her, even if her social life didn’t. She recognised that Kirkman had Aspergers and she was now in the process of getting him some real help.

Unfortunately, what Dani recalled most clearly about her time up on the roof was the awkwardness of when it was over, when she was stood in the dark between J.D. and Nico, the pair of them telling her she was brilliant and asking if she was okay in turn. She made excuses to go straight home and get some sleep after the ordeal, and both men agreed, the pair of them offering to drive her home. She let J.D. take her, but couldn’t quite bring herself to talk to him about breaking up there and then. Too much emotional stress, her brain couldn’t take anymore.

J.D. came over the next night and here they were now, him expecting Dani to blow him off regarding their trip away only, never suspecting that she was completely breaking things off with him. He did look shocked when she said it, and even after two whole minutes had yet to reply.

“I’m so sorry, J.D.,” she repeated in the silence. “I really am, and its not that I didn’t have fun, or that you aren’t a great guy, because you really are.”

“Just not great enough, apparently,” he replied then with a wry smile. “It’s fine, Dani, honestly,” he assured her. “I mean, I’m not thrilled about it, obviously, but if you don’t feel that way about me then there’s nothing I can do to change it,” he shrugged. “I just wish you’d maybe given it a little more time...”

“I already know there’s no point,” she interrupted. “And I know that sounds harsh, but I don’t mean to be. We’re not kids, J.D.,” she reminded him. “At this point in my life, I just, I have to risk assess my choices. I can’t pin all my hopes on a guy I’m not sure about, not right now,” she tried in vain to explain. “Do you understand?”

“I’d like to say no and be mad about this, but I do get it, Dani, I really do,” he nodded his agreement.

Somehow it was worse that he was understanding. Dani might have liked it better if he got mad and yelled at her. At least then she might feel justified in dumping him, if he had a temper or something. As it was, she just didn’t care about this romance enough to make it happen, and if J.D.’s reaction was anything to go by, he wasn’t exactly heartbroken himself.

The phone rang in the hall, almost making Dani jump. She stood up to go answer it, but then wondered if she should. Feet thundering on the stairs alerted her to the fact her son was coming down and she immediately called out to him.

“Ray Jay, can you get the phone?” she asked him.

“It’s why I was coming down,” he replied as he went to answer it, clearly expecting a call.

Dani look across at J.D. and sighed.

“I’d ask if we can still be friends but, well, I know that’s kind of cliché and never really works out,” she shook her head.

“It’s probably a good idea if I just go now,” he said awkwardly, standing up beside her. “Good bye, Dani,” he forced a smile as he leant in to kiss her cheek.

She bid him farewell too as he headed for the front door, following him out as far as the hall way and watching him leave. Dani barely realised Ray Jay was done on the phone and stood right beside her until he spoke.

“Did you guys just break up?” he asked, following his Mom’s gaze to the front door.

“We did,” she nodded once, looking up at her son then. “Not that it was anything major. We’d only been on two dates, but it is over. It had to be.”

“Did he mess you around, Mom? ‘Cause that’s not cool,” Ray Jay told her definitely. “I mean, Nico said he was okay, otherwise...”

Ray Jay stopped talking abruptly when his mother’s eyes narrowed. She squinted when she was pissed off, he knew that, and right now she had every reason to be mad. He had all but confessed that Nico looked into J.D. There was no way in hell she would be happy about that, even if Lindsay had meant well when she asked the fixer for a favour.

“Raymond Junior, what does Nico have to do with my dating J.D.?” asked Dani, already sure she knew the answer but wishing she didn’t.

“Um, well...” her son began, feeling as if he were saved when there was a knock at the door.

Dani moved to check who was there and her expression hardened when she realised it was Nico.

“We meant well, Mom, I swear,” Ray Jay promised his mother, before darting back up the stairs.

If Nico could take her wrath instead of him, the teen was all for it. He was back in his room with the door shut tight before his Mom even got the front door open.

“Hello, Dani,” he smiled from the doorstep. “I just wanted drop by and see if everything was okay, both with you and with Kirkman. I mean after last night, it all got pretty intense.”

“You seem to care a lot about my welfare lately, Nico,” she replied with a fake smile that even the fixer saw right through. “So much so that it seems you might have, oh, I don’t know... investigated into my boyfriend’s personal life!” she yelled the last part, her fake smile gone, replaced with a look that was pure anger and frustration.

Nico winced at the volume of her tone and the expression on her face. He was in trouble, he knew that much, though how Dani had come to realise it, he could only guess. One of the kids had to have let slip, and for that he didn’t suppose he could really blame them. Nico went behind Dani’s back and now he had to face up to that, be the bigger person, apologise.

“I’m sorry if you think I was wrong to check into Dr Aldridge’s past, Dani,” he told her, looking briefly at the ground. “You have to understand that I was only looking out for you, both as an asset to the team, and as a friend.”

“Oh, really? That’s the line you’re gonna pull?” asked Dani, hands on her hips and eyes flashing angrily still. “How dare you? How dare you poke around in my dating life, which has abolsutely nothing to do with my work, the team, and most especially, nothing to do with you!” she yelled crossly.

“Excuse me, Dr Santino. I had no idea that caring about you was actually a crime now,” he almost yelled back at her but just about managed to keep to an even tone.

Nico Careles didn’t lose his cool much, especially not with women. Tonight he was making an exception because he just couldn’t help it. Still, before anything else got said that either of them might regret later, he had the good sense to bid Dani goodnight and walk away.

She yelled after him to go away and not come back. He took those words with a pinch of salt. She was angry and upset and in many ways she had the right to be. Nico was sorry he upset her, but was just as stubborn as her when it came to admitting he was wrong. Better to walk away now, let the dust settle, and talk about it when they had both calmed down.

Back at the house, Dani slammed the door shut behind Nico with an almighty crash. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth the very next moment, and she felt hot tears come to her eyes. She was so frustrated and angry, and not just with Nico but with herself. She’d made such an unholy mess of things lately.

“Mom?” Lindsay said from the top of the stairs, creeping down slowly as if she were afraid of getting her head bitten off too. “Are you okay?” she checked, a dumb question perhaps but all she could think to say right now.

“I’ll be fine,” Dani assured her, sniffing hard and forcing a smile. “Honestly, sweetheart, I just... Nico crossed a line, and I can’t have that. If I let it happen, it’ll be like T.K. all over again, just over-stepping and invading our lives. I won’t have it,” she said, sweeping away towards the kitchen a moment later.

Lindsay considered giving chase but soon changed her mind. Ray Jay was above her on the stairs now, whispering to ask if everything was okay. This was as much their fault as anyones and Lindsay felt the guilt of it. She had made her Mom and Nico fight, and that wasn’t cool. For all the fights they had themselves, Lindsay loved her mother and cared about her not getting hurt. Nico was a solid guy, there to help them out of trouble and take care of them as much as they needed when Dani was sick. It felt bad to know she and Ray Jay might’ve messed up the friendship between their Mom and the fixer, but right now both teens were too afraid to try to fix anything. They crept back to their rooms in silence.

Dani was sat at the kitchen counter with a glass of wine in her hand by now. It wasn’t going to help, she knew that. She spent hours trying to teach alcoholics, and other patients too, that booze should not be used as a crutch when you were down. Dani couldn’t always practice what she preached. Right now she needed a little something to take the edge off her evening that was spiralling downward every second.

Breaking up with J.D. had been rough but she needed to do it. He wasn’t right for her, she didn’t belong with him, and she didn’t really regret her decision. She did hate that she fought with Nico though. His words of caring about her echoed in her mind, making her feel wretched.

The poor guy really did care. He was there was she was sick, when her kids needed someone to turn to. He was afraid for her when those bad guys came during her time counselling Coogan, and he played back up when she went to deal with Kirkman. He had sat at her table, after cooking dinner for her family, and they had talked like real friends, just a couple of weeks ago. Now they were at one another’s throats over his checking out her boyfriend who wasn’t even her boyfriend anymore, if he ever had been in the first place. It was crazy, and Dani couldn’t help but blame herself.

It was unfair to compare Nico to T.K. The latter was a patient first and perhaps a friend second. Whilst Nico had started out as just a work colleague, he was definitely way more than that now. He was like an extended part of the Santino family, liked and appreciated by more than just Dani, including her kids and even her mother. Dani loved that he dropped by just to see if she was okay, that he genuinely cared. She cared too, she liked him a lot.

On her second glass of wine, Dani stopped questioning Nico’s motives and looked to her own. There was no way to second guess what a guy like him was feeling; it would be tough enough with a less mysterious person, but Nico was almost impossible to read. Dani’s own feelings ought to be clear to the woman herself, and yet when she started to realise what they might be, she wanted to run away from them, even though such a thing was impossible.

Perhaps Nico cared for her in a way she never expected, but more than that, maybe she did have similar feelings for him. Her mother was right, there was nothing really to dislike about his looks, his caring side, his mysterious ways, his ability to care about her whole family. No way was the guy perfect, nobody was, but he might just be the real reason why Dani couldn’t genuinely connect with J.D.

This new theory required some serious thought, and a third glass of wine.

* * * * *

“See, the thing is, every time I get close, she walks away,” T.K. continued to explain, though it was becoming increasingly obvious that Dr D was not listening.

T.K. might’ve taken offence if he didn’t know her so well now. This really wasn’t like Dani. She always paid attention, she built her reputation on being a good listener and all. Besides, they were friends now, kind of, and she wouldn’t leave T.K. hanging without good reason.

“Yo, Dr D!” he said more loudly, hands cupped around his mouth as if he required a loud speaker to be heard. “Where your head at, woman?” he asked with a chuckle when she visibly jumped with surprise and refocused on her patient.

“Terrence, I am so sorry,” she apologised. “I just, I haven’t slept too well the last couple of nights, but it is no excuse,” she apologised. “I should be listening to you, and I’m sorry...”

“Hey, it’s cool,” he told her fast, hands raised in mock surrender to her barrage of apologies. “Everybody has an off day, that’s why we got you to come to,” he reminded her with a smile. “Still, it ain’t like you to be so off your game, Doc. You got trouble with the chicklets? Or is it that screw up ex o’ yours?” he asked.

Dani smiled at T.K.’s attitude. Not so long ago he would have insisted all focus be on him or else he walked. Now he was genuinely interested in ensuring she was okay, that her kids were alright and everything. He really was a good guy underneath all the bravado and she was so very glad to have him back.

“Thank you, T.K., for caring,” she told him genuinely, “but you really shouldn’t be worrying about me. This is your session, where we talk about your troubles, not mine.”

“Yeah, well, right now my trouble is that you got troubles,” he insisted, gesturing to himself and then to her. “C’mon, Dr D, spill it on me,” he urged her, sitting forward in his seat to prove he was paying rapt attention. “Maybe all this psyche stuff you been tellin’ me will’ve rubbed off by now. Help me to help you.”

She shouldn’t do it, Dani knew that, but if it helped T.K. to think he was helping her, then there was no bad. Besides, she really could use someone to talk to about her problems, with Jeanette gone, her mother somewhat judgmental, and Nico, she couldn’t even begin to think about Nico since he was at least half the reason she could get no sleep! Her mind was a-buzz all the time. Maybe unloading with T.K. would help some.

“It’s all just getting a little complicated in my head right now,” she sighed, dumping her notepad off on the table and running her hands back through her hair. “It’s my 18th wedding anniversary next week, which feels so weird since I’m halfway through a divorce. I just broke up with a perfectly nice guy after only two dates because I just... I couldn’t care about him the way I should. Then there’s Nico, who I had a complete fight with about something I’m not even really sure was worth it.”

T.K. listened to the whole rambling explanation and then met Dani’s eyes when she looked over at him with a smile.

“So, all rough stuff,” he agreed with her, “and I can’t exactly say I know what you feelin’ about divorces and boyfriend types and all, but Nico? Yeah, he been kinda out of whack the past couple of days too,” he explained.

Dani was surprised by that. She hadn’t really considered how Nico might’ve been affected by their argument. She only thought of her own feelings. It wasn’t as if she thought Nico had no emotions, though he rarely if ever showed any. Dani realised the frown on her face must’ve been more obvious than she thought when T.K. suddenly spoke up.

“Is there a little somethin’-somethin’ going on with you two?” he asked with a smirk. “’Cause seriously, Doc, you could do worse. The guy is solid. A little ‘stranger in the night’ vibe, but decent, y’know?”

“I know Nico is a good guy, T.K.,” Dani replied immediately. “It’s just... he kind of stepped over a line when I was dating someone else, and I got very, very mad about it. I guess he was just trying help and be caring, but... This is why I can’t sleep!” she declared, throwing her arms in the air. “Too much going on in my head, and it’s all Nico’s fault!” she declared.

T.K. had been trying not to laugh since Dani was clearly distressed, but by this point he just couldn’t help it. The woman spent her whole life helping everybody else see how blind they was being, and yet she didn’t seem to figure that as wound up as she was over Nico, she had to feel more for him that she had yet to admit.

“Dr D, I’m gonna level with ya,” he said, as he calmed down from laughter that clearly didn’t amuse her. “You didn’t like it when I over-stepped with your kids and your home and all, which is cool, but you never lost sleep over tellin’ me where to go, am I right?”

“True,” she nodded once, interested as to where his theory was going.

“Now you and Nico, you get into a spat over somethin’ and nothin’, and all of a sudden you ain’t even listenin’ when T.K. talks. That ain’t cool, mama, you read me?” he said with a look that was meant to be jokingly stern. “Fact is, I’m thinking maybe you and our favourite fixer need to just face up to the fact that maybe you got the deep-and-meaningfuls for each other. See what I’m sayin’?”

Dani opened her mouth to answer that and closed it again fast. He had a point. Terrence King of the New York Hawks had just untangled the mess of crap that had been running around her brain for forty-eight hours straight and then some, and he’d got it absolutely right. She really did like Nico more than she should, and there was enough evidence to suggest he could feel the same. There were a hundred and one reasons not to pursue a romantic relationship there, but T.K. had certainly given her some food for thought with his perspective. Besides, if he could see what was potentially between her and Nico, maybe other people could too.

“Huh,” she said aloud as she considered it, then looked to T.K.’s smirking features. “Good call, Not-A-Doctor King,” she told him, returning the look then. “But maybe we should get back to talking about your love life rather than mine,” she said, pulling her legs back up under her and her notepad back onto her lap.

“That’s cool, Doc,” T.K. agreed, leaning back into the couch. “But I gotta say one more thing. From what I see of you and Nico? You two could make a pretty cute couple. ‘s all I’m sayin’,” he told her, hands up in surrender before she might potentially get mad at him again.

“Thank you, Terrence,” Dani genuinely smiled at that. “Now, what were you saying about you and the lovely Vivica?” she asked with more focus than she had shown all afternoon.

T.K. got to waxing lyrical about his latest date with the hot sports reporter and how it hadn’t ended as he planned with ‘breakfast’. Dani was happy to hear about it and assist any way she could. Though T.K. had certainly helped her out by giving a little advice of his own, figuring out what she did with it next would surely give Dani one more headache for the collection. Working on someone else’s problems came that much easier than fixing her own, that was for sure.


	10. Chapter 10

Sometimes you didn’t have to make a decision to do something. Sometimes fate just decided for you. Such it seemed to be today as Dani came around the corner with her eyes fixed on the documents in her hand, only to meet Nico coming from the other direction in a similar state. They literally collided, sending his cell and her papers all over the floor.

“Damnit!” she cursed, crouching down to retrieve everything, and he followed suit.

Neither looked at each other or spoke anymore, mostly because neither knew what to say. Things had been odd between them ever since their spat over J.D. They’d both played avoidance tactics a couple of days, and even though they both ended up at the same meeting in Coach’s office, they had barely looked at each other. Now, as Nico handed Dani the papers he’d picked up for her, they were forced to meet each others eyes. It was so childish to keep running away.

“I’m sorry,” they said together, before laughing.

Neither of them were much for apologising, but it seemed with each other they would make an exception. Standing up as one, they started over, with Nico gesturing for her to go first if she wanted to. Dani appreciated the chivalry, even if she would almost have preferred him to start.

“Nico, I am sorry about before,” she repeated. “I know you were just looking out for me and my kids, and I should appreciate that. I do appreciate it, I really do,” she assured him.

“But I did overstep, and I should’ve known better,” Nico apologised too. “I’m sorry, Dani.”

She smiled at the same time he did and in that simple moment the rift between them was healed. It was such a relief as they both breathed easily at last. With the stress in their lives lately, it was hardly surprising they had both blown their tops. At each other was not the way to go of course, it didn’t help, it only made life harder to bear.

“I’m so glad we can be adults about this,” said Dani then. “I really can’t afford to lose anyone else from my life right now, and you are the last person I want disappearing on me,” she admitted, realising only after the words were out how intense that probably sounded.

Nico didn’t flinch, or run as he had every right to do. Instead he just smiled some more, the expression a little alien to his features. He wasn’t usually so happy about anything, but then he did have to be awfully serious to get his job done. Dani couldn’t help but think how nice it was to see him smile that much.

“I’m guessing Terrence is providing you with some of your stress?” he asked conversationally.

Nico was highly aware of how friendly Dani was being here, and he told himself what a fool he was. She wasn’t interested in him that way, he was sure of it. Better to stick to being friends, since that seemed to be all she wanted or needed right now.

“No, T.K. is fine,” Dani literally waved that idea away. “It’s just life in general, y’know? We’re having this yard sale and... argh!”

Dani winced the moment she turned her head even a little, a hand flying up to her neck.

“Hey, that didn’t sound good,” said Nico as he reached a hand to her shoulder. “Maybe you should ask Matthew to take a look at that,” he suggested.

He had no idea that Mr Donnelly himself was just around the corner, having stopped short when he realised Nico and Dani were talking about him.

“No, really, it’s no big deal,” she assured him, fighting to even think straight with his hand gently placed on her shoulder.

Dani was having flashbacks to those very intense dreams of Nico, in which there had been a whole lot more touching than in this moment. Battling the urge to blush, she thought about shrugging his hand off but knew that’d give the wrong impression. Instead she just rotated her neck carefully and carried on talking.

“I’ve been moving some boxes,” she explained. “Like I said, we’re having a yard sale and I guess I just misjudged my own strength,” she laughed lightly at her own stupidity, but Nico didn’t.

“If you need help with moving boxes then you should have said something,” he told her, with evident concern. “Remember what happened the last time you tried to cope alone?”

“Yes,” Dani nodded carefully, recalling all too clearly how ill she had been then.

Of course, the upside to her sickness was how close it had allowed her and Nico to become. They certainly were good friends now, and according to her subconscious she totally wanted more. She couldn’t be certain if Nico felt the same, but if he was going to offer to come over to her house and help rid her home of Ray, she wasn’t going to argue in any case.

“So, what time do you want me?” he asked, removing his hand from her shoulder after perhaps too long a moment so he could check his watch.

“Well, um, whenever you’re free?” Dani floundered a little. “I mean, I’m heading home now but if you’re still busy...”

“I have a couple of calls to make but that won’t take long,” said Nico with a smile. “I’ll head for your place as soon as I’m done here, and until I get there you leave the heavy stuff alone, understood?” he told her, a little authoritative in his tone perhaps but the smile that remained proved he only had her best interests at heart.

“Promise,” she agreed, as they parted ways. “Hey, Nico,” she called after him until he looked back. “Thank you. Really, thank you” she told him seriously.

“No problem,” he assured her, as he headed to his office.

Matt watched the fixer and the doctor part ways and frowned. Those two were just so friendly lately, and it was as if he didn’t even exist in Dani’s life. She had certainly moved on equally as much as he had, if not more so, but what could he say? He had been fast enough to get back together with Laura. Just because that was over, he could hardly expect Dani to just be available, however much he wished he could.

* * *

Dani had been a little surprised when Nico showed up at her house in more casual clothes. She never thought about him owning any that weren’t smart in the extreme. Of course her theory about ninety percent of his wardrobe being black still held true, proven by the colour of both his jeans and T-shirt now. God only knew how he still managed to look as handsome as always dressed this way, and at the same time, entirely sexy as he bent and stretched, shifting the boxes of mostly Ray’s stuff for the yard sale.

“Is something wrong?” asked Nico then as he looked back at Dani, catching her staring. “I mean you’re watching me very intently...”

He was trying not to smirk when he said it, because Nico had an idea that maybe it wasn’t so much that Dani was unhappy with what he was doing, but altogether too happy about it. He wasn’t that naive. Men watched women, women watched men. It wasn’t a bad feeling to know she thought he was worth checking out, not at all, and the urge to bring it up just to see her blush was terrible.

“Uh, no,” the therapist shook her head fast, knowing from the heat in her cheeks that she just made a fool of herself. “I, er... I was just going to say thank you, again, for the help,” she lied, knowing what she was really thinking was what else she and Nico could be doing alone in the house together, rather than shifting around boxes of junk.

Oh, she was a bad person, Dani thought to herself. She had broken up with J.D less than a week ago. She was not even officially divorced yet. There was a one-night stand on her record already, and here she was lusting over a man who just wanted to be her friend. She was such an idiot, and a bad person, and apparently more horny than her teenage kids who were pretty much supposed to be that way at their age.

“You really don’t have to keep thanking me, Dani,” Nico told her, only making things worse on her as he came to sit close beside her on the couch. “I’m always happy to help. I told you before, I’m here whenever you need me,” he promised, putting his hand around her own.

Dani was pretty sure she stopped breathing when she looked up then and met his eyes. This was insane. She was insane. Nico didn’t want her the way her lusty wrong brain seemed to want him all of a sudden, except it wasn’t so sudden when she thought on it She noticed from the beginning how good-looking he was, and no woman would resist the whole mysterious stranger vibe. Now she had gotten to know him and found he was also sweet and honest and kind and... and pretty much perfect for her.

“Nico...” she started to say, not even sure if the sentence had any further content or if maybe she was just going to give in and let herself kiss him.

“What the..? Did a bomb go off in here?” said a voice, and suddenly the spell was very much broken.

“Mrs Romano,” Nico was up from his seat and greeting her politely within a second, before Dani could even get her bearings. “I’m sorry, Angela,” he amended off a pointed look from Dani’s mother.

“Very nice to see you, Nico” she smiled slowly - he couldn’t help feeling like prey somehow.

“Ma, what are you doing here?” asked Dani, seeing the look in her mother’s eyes and knowing all too well what came next.

After the last meeting between her and Nico, there was no way she wasn’t going to continue to say just exactly what she thought, even with him present. Not that Dani hated the idea of dating the fixer, but she didn’t need her mother talking openly about it, especially not in front of the man himself. Besides, now was so not a good time, not surrounded by Ray’s things and...

“What’s this doing here?” asked Angela with a frown as her attention suddenly seemed to be taken by the content of one of the boxes.

“I’m going to go grab a drink. Nico, I’ll get you one too,” she said as she practically ran from the room.

It was the cowards way, to bolt like that, and she didn’t really love leaving her Mom alone with Nico, but it was better than facing her herself today.

“What is this?” Angela asked, mostly rhetorically, as she picked up an item from a box.

Nico wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer or not, but decided it seemed impolite to ignore her. Besides, if he didn’t say something Angela would just follow Dani to the kitchen. Nico got the distinct impression her bolting had been very deliberate and so he intervened as best he could.

“Um, a fish?” he tried to answer Angela’s question. “A fake fish, obviously...” he continued, running a hand through his hair.

“I bought this fish,” she said too sadly as she sat down on the couch with a bump. “For Ray and... and all these things are Ray’s,” she sighed, shaking her head.

Nico wasn’t entirely surprised to hear that. A lot of the boxes he’d shifted had decidedly male belongings in them, and Dani had said some of the items they were selling off had been her ex-husband’s things. Of course, it was only now he realised this was less of a yard sale and more of a Ray sale.

“Y’know, it’s her anniversary tomorrow,” Angela sighed, hugging the fake fish as if it were a baby.

Nico tried not to frown at that as he sat down beside his friend’s mother.

“Dani’s wedding anniversary?” he checked, sure that must be right - it would certainly make even more sense out of this sale.

“And what do I do? Say I’m going to spend it with Ray,” Angela admitted, her eyes closed and a look of disgrace on her features. “I am a terrible mother.”

“I don’t believe that,” Nico told her, putting a careful hand to her shoulder, hoping she took the comforting gesture as it was intended only. “Dani is lucky to have a mother that’s still around to care about her. I wish I was so lucky.”

Angela looked sideways at the fixer and found him a smile. He was a genuinely nice guy, but that didn’t stop him being the tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious type too. As far as Dani’s mother could tell, he was just about everything her little girl could want or need in a man, and she got the distinct impression he liked her a whole lot too.

“You’re a good boy, Careles,” she told him, patting him on the knee. “One day my daughter is gonna realise that,” she winked as she got up from the couch to follow Dani into the kitchen.

“We’re friends, Angela, that’s all,” he reminded her, even though it was painful to admit.

Nico hoped that didn’t show, but the look Dani’s Mom gave him then as she glanced back over her shoulder proved he’d failed in his efforts.

“I’m her mother, Nico,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I know her better than she knows herself. Trust me, it’ll happen.”

“What will happen?” asked Dani as she came back into the living room then, making her mother jump.

They started bickering the way only mother and daughter could then, and Nico smiled at the exchange. They were too alike, any fool could see. It was how come they could drive each other crazy, he was sure of it. Underneath it all, there was real love and deep bond that kept this family afloat, he saw that too. Of course, his mind wandered off course a little when he thought on what Angela had been saying to him before. She seemed to think he and Dani would make the perfect couple, and that had to mean something. After all, J.D. was out of the picture, and not long after he arrived. It was Nico himself that Dani seemed to turn to when she needed someone, him who was here right now, him she was headed back towards as Angela called goodbye and left.

“You okay?” she asked Nico as he realised he as staring at her like an idiot.

“Yeah, sure,” he told her quickly, feeling dumb for being caught in such a moment of long thought, but then Angela had given him an awful lot to think about.

“Uh, I’m sorry about my Mom,” Dani shifted awkwardly, folding and unfolding her arms twice. “She can be a little... shockingly awful!” she admitted with a smile she couldn’t help.

They both laughed a little and it seemed to break whatever odd tension had settled between them in the last few minutes.

“Anyway, we’re almost done here, and you’ve been a great help,” she continued, “and since you don’t want me to actually say thank you over and over and embarrass you”, she said fast before he had a chance to interrupt, “maybe I can show you how grateful I am a different way...”

It was the way she said it, though it wasn’t entirely intentional. It sent a whole flood of sexy, inappropriate, and a few downright dirty scenarios flashing through both their heads. Still, neither said a word about it or even flinched as she spoke again.

“You should come over for that dinner later this week,” she told him. “We never did arrange it and... well, y’know, the kids would love to see you.”

Nico tried to remind himself that she was just a friend, just trying to be nice, but Angela’s pointed looks and particular words kept springing to mind. Besides, bringing the kids up as a reason for him to come over, that was kind of a thin argument for anything.

“Thank you, Dani,” he said anyway, with a genuine smile. “I’d love to come over. I could use at least one ‘normal’ night,” he admitted.

“Good,” she smiled right back at him, genuinely feeling the best she had felt all day.

Maybe her mother did know best sometimes after all.


	11. Chapter 11

“And before I could say anything, she ploughed right into Johnny DiMarco, practically flattening him into his locker,” Lindsay finished her story with a giggle she couldn’t help. “If it were me, I’d’ve been wishing my life would end, but not Winter. She totally took advantage of the situation, if you know what I mean...”

“I think we can guess,” Dani cut her daughter off, unsure whether she was more embarrassed for herself or for Nico who was smirking for all he was worth.

Lindsay just didn’t have a volume control or a much-needed mute button. Her tales of high school fun were fine when it was just the three of them, but in front of company, Dani felt somewhat awkward. Maybe she wouldn’t have last time Nico was here, but somehow things were just different now. When she looked at the fixer she didn’t just seen her good friend and work colleague anymore. She was getting all these other thoughts and feelings, dirty dreams that she was losing control of, and wandering thoughts that were just not appropriate for a woman not even yet divorced and barely broken up from her last relationship!

“Mom?” said Ray Jay for the third time, snapping her out of a daze she barely noticed she was in.

“Dani, are you okay?” asked Nico, his hand on her arm making her jump much more violently than it should have, but then given where her mind had wandered too, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised immediately, painting on a smile. “I guess I got a little distracted there. Um, is everyone ready for dessert?” she checked, moving to get up.

“I’ll help,” Nico told her, only to have her snap at him.

“No! No, I mean, no, it’s fine,” she said quickly. “Really, I can manage.”

“Okay,” he nodded once, though he was looking at her oddly, presumably trying to work out what was wrong with her.

Dani hoped he didn’t ask since having to explain right now, especially in front of the kids, would be bad, oh so very bad.

“Great food, Mom, as always,” Ray Jay smiled as she cleared away the plates.

“Absolutely,” their guest agreed. “I know you all told me how great that chicken parmesan was but honestly? That was even more delicious than I could’ve imagined, Dani.”

“Thank you,” the hostess all but blushed as she hurried off to the kitchen.

Lindsay watched her mother go, eyes on the kitchen door until she saw it firmly shut behind her. She leaned over the table so far then, Nico thought she was going to fall into his wine glass, when she started whispering loudly (if such a thing were possible).

“Thank you so much for not telling Mom about the whole J.D. thing,” she said with genuine gratitude apparently.

“Seriously, dude, that was cool,” Ray Jay agreed. “Mom would’ve killed us if she knew we asked you to look into her boyfriend like that.”

Nico smiled and sipped at his drink. They were good kids, and he supposed he really had done them a favour by not letting Dani know they asked him to research J.D. Aldridge before. The fact of the matter was he probably would’ve done it anyway given half the chance. Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he would’ve done it, at the very first opportunity he got! He cared way too much about Dani to let her date a potentially dangerous man. Besides, if he could find any fault worth exploiting, he would have done it. It was childish and maybe even creepy, but Nico could live with that. He’d been called much worse before now.

“It’s fine, no problem” he assured the teens. “Your Mom understands that I was just looking out for her and I apologised if I over-stepped. We never need mention it again, okay?” he advised, knowing that a slip of the tongue in front of Dani might yet get them all into trouble again.

“Mom’s the word,” said Lindsay, tapping the side of her nose, and making Ray Jay laugh as Dani returned with a cheesecake balanced on one hand and dishes in the other.

“What? What did I miss?” she asked, off Ray Jay’s over-zealous smile and trying not to laugh all the more.

“I was just telling a funny story of my own,” said Nico, covering once again for the mini Santinos - it seemed he just couldn’t help himself.

“Oh really?” asked Dani curiously. “People in your line of work have funny stories?” she checked, as she began serving dessert.

“Judge for yourself,” he shrugged, as he began his tale.

Before long, the whole family were in fits of uncontrollable giggles. So far, it was a great night.

* * *

  
It was getting late and tomorrow was a school day, so Dani had insisted the kids go off to bed. She got very little resistance actually, and couldn’t help but wonder if Nico’s presence was the reason. Looking like brats in front of company didn’t always bother Ray Jay and Lindsay but they did seem to have some strange respect for Nico. It was nice, and a definite positive, Dani decided, that her kids liked a guy that she liked so much. It could only be a good thing, though she daren’t let her imagination wander again as to why, at least not now. Finally, she and Nico were alone, glasses of wine in their hands as they shared the couch and a comfortable silence for a few moments.

“Thank you for coming over tonight, Nico,” she said then. “I really enjoyed the adult company.”

“Well, thank you for inviting me,” he smiled back at her, clinking his wine glass against her own. “And y’know Lindsay and Ray Jay really aren’t as bad as you think sometimes,” he assured her.

“Oh, I know,” she sighed. “They’re good kids, underneath all the snark and the tantrums,” she laughed lightly, moving to put her wine on the coffee table then sinking back into the cushions with her eyes closed a moment. “Still, being the equivalent of a single Mom is not always easy. I guess I didn’t think much about them losing their father when I threw out my husband.”

Nico didn’t really know what to say to that. For himself, he had to be glad Ray was out of the picture. If not, he and Dani would probably never have met, and he certainly wouldn’t have the opportunity to be close to her like this. She was such a singular woman; a good therapist, a good mother, an incredible cook apparently. On top of that she was beautiful, inside and out, and Nico knew he hadn’t felt this way about another woman in years, not since he and Gabrielle were in deep.

“Hey,” Dani’s voice cut through his thoughts and Nico finally realised how far he’d drifted from reality. “You okay? You look ready to run out on me again.”

Dani looked genuinely concerned as she sat up a little straighter and tried to meet his gaze. Of course Nico knew she was referring the one other time he had been invited for dinner with the Santino family. Just as soon as his quiet conversation with Dani turned to kids, he had bolted like a frightened rabbit, without ever explaining himself.

It wasn’t fair and she deserved better. Besides, with the rumours that were circulating about the Pittmans and their relationship issues lately, he could really use someone to talk to about this. Two birds, one stone, it made sense. Dani could know him better, he could keep his word about never lying to her, and maybe take a little weight of his own shoulders into the bargain.

“Nico,” her hand on his arm and the concern in her eyes when they met his was enough to convince him.

“I have to tell you something,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper as his hand covered hers. “But… it’s very private,” he said a little awkwardly, looking toward the stairs.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the kids or even that he didn’t trust them, but they were just teenagers and this was more than a little serious.

“Okay,” Dani nodded in apparent understanding, her hand turning over to grasp his fingers and pulling him up with her when she stood.

They went through to the kitchen, checking the pantry on the way for anyone who might’ve crept in (Dani’s Ma perhaps!), and then bolted the door behind them as they passed into the office.

Dani flicked on the lights and Nico turned a full circle, presumably checking for anyone outside the window or door. He really was a suspicious person by nature, but Dani knew that wasn’t his fault, and made him just about perfect for his job. Still, the audio scrambling device he explained then as he put it on the table still took her by surprise somehow.

Sitting down in her usual armchair, Dani pulled her legs up underneath her and waited for Nico to sit down as well. He didn’t. All he did was pace up and down the room at least six times, until finally on the next pass, Dani grabbed at his hand and stopped him.

“Nico, come on,” she urged him. “If you have something to tell me, I wish you’d just say it,” she told him, trying not to let the shake in her voice show too much.

This was a little cloak and dagger even for the fixer, and honestly he was starting to scare her. She had sort of hoped whatever he had to tell her might be some positive thing about liking her a lot or similar. That seemed shallow and vapid, Dani knew, but she couldn’t help herself. When he got to looking so very serious, with the audio scrambler and the pacing, now she was genuinely concerned. In his line of work, Nico got involved with all kinds of unsavoury people and dealings. She opened her mouth to ask jokingly if he killed someone, but shut it again fast when she realised maybe that really was why they were here...

“You know that Pittman has a family, right?” he said at last, moving to sit down on the couch at last. “A wife and a daughter?”

“I do,” Dani nodded once. “Well, a wife and a kid, I didn’t know specifically a daughter…”

“Juliette,” he confirmed. “His wife is named Gabrielle, and her daughter is Juliette,” he smiled some, despite how serious the situation appeared to be. “I, er… Before Marshall and Gabrielle got married, I was seeing her,” said Nico, though he barely looked at Dani at all, eyes focused on the carpet between his feet and elbows rested on his knees. “Once they were married, we didn’t exactly stop being involved.”

“Wow,” said the therapist, completely blown away by the revelation, but before she had a chance to say or even think any more about it, the second announcement came.

“I don’t know for sure, but Gabrielle has always implied that… that Juliette was mine, not Marshall’s daughter,” said Nico all in a rush at last.

He looked up then, not entirely surprised to see Dani’s jaw working up and down, with no sound coming out. He had shocked her, as he was sure he would, but even so, Dr Santino usually had an answer for everything in there somewhere. On this one occasion, he seemed to have managed to render her completely speechless.

“Wow,” she repeated after a few seconds more. “I mean… I guess now I see why my asking you about secret children hit a nerve.”

“You couldn’t’ve known, Dani. Nobody does, that’s the point,” Nico told her. “It’s just now that there are rumours about the Pittman’s divorcing, I know it’s going to become an issue again, whether Gabrielle had affairs and…”

“Which she did,” said Dani straight out, interrupting Nico without hesitation. “She did... or she is?” she posed her question carefully, unsure whether she even had a right to ask.

The fact was, she and Nico were good friends, but not officially anything more. They had never been on a date, never really kissed, never professed any feelings that way. She possessed such feelings, that much Dani was clear on, but she had no claim on the fixer, she knew that all too well.

“The affair is in the past,” he promised her faithfully and she believed every word as she always did from him. “There were… lapses,” he admitted. “As recently as last year actually, but for the most part it’s been over a long time.”

“Uh-huh,” Dani nodded along, not really sure what else she was supposed to say.

So Nico was free, single, and available still, that ought to please her, but right now she was a little too bowled over by the idea that this man, this seemingly honest and wonderful man, had an affair with his bosses wife, on and off for years. Plus he may in fact be the biological father of the heir to the Pittman fortune.

The silent treatment was making Nico more than a little uncomfortable. He wanted to tell Dani this truth, wanted her to know and to understand, but all he seemed to have achieved was shocking and disgusting her. That hurt more than anything else in this whole sorry business.

“I should go,” he said getting up fast then, but his stopping to pick up the audio scrambler gave Dani time to react and catch him.

“No, please don’t,” she urged him, her hands to his arms, encouraging him to stay put as she looked up and met his eyes. “I’m just surprised is all. Very, very surprised, but you don’t have to leave. I don’t want you to.”

“With what happened between you and Ray, I guess I thought you’d be disgusted, with me being involved in an extra-marital affair,” he admitted, hoping that her behaviour now might just be proving him wrong.

“That is completely different!” she insisted. “First of all, you weren’t cheating on anybody, not really, since you weren’t married then… right?”

“That is true,” he agreed.

“Okay, and second of all, you at least show some remorse for your actions,” she insisted, already knowing it was true from how he struggled to tell her the truth, how he wanted to bolt from her sight right after. “Ray never cared what he did and I don’t think he ever will. You’re a way, way better man than him, Nico, you truly are.”

“Thank you, Dani,” he smiled down at her in such a way that she would’ve sworn her insides melted. “You’re a hell of a woman, Dani Santino. You are. You’re... a good friend,” he made himself say, not that it wasn’t true but just because it reminded him that kissing her now would not actually be a good plan, no matter how strong the urge.

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself,” she told him, feeling ridiculously girlish for her age. “Nico, you have to know you mean a lot to me. Maybe more than you should…”

That was all the encouragement Nico needed to give in, and so he did. Dani’s next words, whatever they might’ve been and even she wasn’t sure, were lost when his lips covered hers in a searing kiss to rival those of her most vivid dreams about him. Dani felt like she was drowning, and yet at the same time, being saved from just exactly that fate, as the moment went on and then was abruptly over. There they stood, arms around each other now, breathing hard, his forehead resting on hers.

“What are we doing?” he asked her seriously though a smile played around those lips that had just thrilled her in ways she never could have imagined.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Probably something that’s not the best idea for either of us right now.”

“Probably not,” he agreed and yet when her eyes met his again, he already knew she was going to initiate another kiss and he was going to let her.

They both had to be crazy. As much as they liked each other, this was hardly a good plan. She was in the middle of a messy divorce and just recently broken up with another boyfriend. He had just confessed to an affair with the wife of their boss, and possible fatherhood of a child by that same woman. Still, this was what both Dani and Nico had been wanting for a while now, and it really felt too good to give up already.

“Nico, we really shouldn’t,” said Dani breathlessly as she pulled away just enough to speak. “I mean, I’m not sorry this is happening, but it’s getting late, and I have T.K.’s appointment tomorrow morning.”

It was ridiculous as excuses go, and they both knew it. Of course, they also knew that if they let this situation go any further it was only going to end one way. With the failed relationships they already had on both their records, this was one they really didn’t want to screw up. Slowing down, if only just for now, seemed sensible.

“I should go,” said Nico, trying to think of anything else but the feel of Dani’s arms around him, her lips attached to his own. “Um, work is going to be crazy with the game coming up and everything,” he rambled in a way he wouldn’t usually, such was the effect she could have on him.

“Crazy, yeah,” Dani agreed as they stepped apart, the pair of them looking around absently a moment as if they didn’t remember where they were.

A moment later, Nico was letting himself out of the back door, hoping that if nothing else the fresh air would bring his bearings back. Dani followed and there they stood either side of the threshold, meaning to say goodnight and yet not quite doing it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess,” she said eventually.

“You probably will,” he replied, somehow unable to turn away yet.

Dani felt her breath hitch once again as his hand slid into her hair and pulled her head closer until they shared one last sweet kiss.

Finally, Nico walked away, and Dani breathed a sigh of contentment. That wasn’t exactly how she had expected this evening to go, not at all, but she really couldn’t find a way to be sorry about it. She only hoped that Nico could say the same.


	12. Chapter 12

Dani Santino could not stop smiling. Maybe it was the bright sunshine in the sky, or the fact her kids were behaving and being pleasant to each other this morning. Maybe it was the delicious breakfast she just ate, or knowing she had a job she loved to go to. In actual fact, it was none of these reasons, at least not in any large way. The smile on the doctor’s lips was almost one hundred per cent the responsibility of one Nico Careles and the little leap their relationship had taken last night.

Despite the ache it had left inside her when they parted, Dani knew it was for the best that she and Nico had stopped at kissing and not gone ahead and slept together. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, because she knew she really, really did and got the feeling he was hardly less eager himself. The fact was, it would just complicate things too much right now. He was dealing with this whole Pittman family crisis and his part in it. His name might yet come up in their divorce case and he may in fact be a father! In the meantime, Dani was still dealing with her own divorce, and then there was the kids to consider. It had to be better for everyone if they just took things slow, especially after the way things had gone with Matt.

That thought took the smile off Dani’s face momentarily. She and Matt had put their not-quite-relationship on hold when she began working with the Hawks.  Their status had remained undefined ever since then, but in her heart of hearts, Dani always knew that it wasn’t really the working relationship between herself and the trainer that made her back off. He was a one night stand, and since then he became a friend, but she couldn’t see anything real happening with them. Not then and not now. It would’ve been fun, but ultimately that was a romance destined to crash and burn. Somehow she didn’t see that being the case with Nico, not at all.

The smile was back on her face then as her mind drifted to the night before, to the kiss she and Nico had shared. The dreamy look on her face was enough to get the attention of her teenage children by now.

“Mom? Are you okay?” asked Ray Jay as he finished off his cereal and dropped the spoon in the bowl with a clank.

“Yeah, Mom, you’ve been holding the mail like that for ten minutes and haven’t opened one envelope yet,” Lindsay noted with a frown.

“What? Oh, right, mail,” said Dani as she snapped herself out of a daze.

“Damnit, Ray Jay, we’re gonna be late!” Lindsay said then as she checked her watch.

Hopping down off her stool and grabbing up her bag, she socked her brother in the shoulder to get his attention since he hadn’t answered her at all.

“I’m coming!” he yelled after her as she walked out of the kitchen, whilst Ray Jay’s focus stayed on Dani who seemed to have fallen into dreamworld again. “Seriously, Mom, are you okay?” he checked, finally getting her attention.

“Oh, I’m fine, baby. I promise,” she swore to him, even though the envelope in her hand was giving her a reason to be otherwise.

That said, Ray Jay seemed satisfied. Rounding the counter to kiss his Mom’s cheek, he then hurried after Lindsay.

“Hey, Nico!” Dani heard her son yell on his way out.

Immediately she went rushing through the house to see the fixer. He was right inside the front door when she got there, clearly having been let in by the kids, but not quite willing to barge right in until invited. God, he was just so sweet sometimes!

“Good morning,” she smiled in greeting as he shut the door behind himself.

“Good morning,” he replied in kind, before they shared a kiss.

It was a good feeling, to know that all of a sudden it was just okay to be close like this, without even thinking about it. Nothing else about their new relationship had been defined yet, but apparently kissing was a go. Dani liked that a lot.

“You’re here very early,” she noted as they parted. “Not that I’m complaining but a little surprised maybe.”

“I forgot my coat last night,” Nico told her, reaching around her to unhook it from the stand. “I can’t imagine how that happened...” he said then, with a smirk that Dani mirrored, more so when his arms came to rest around her body and pulled her close for another kiss.

The moment may have lasted longer if Nico hadn’t suddenly noticed a piece of paper fluttering past his face. Pulling away a little and looking down he realised it was actually an envelope that had presumably been in Dani’s hand before they started making out like teens in the hallway.

“Yours, I think,” he said as he dipped to pick it up and hand it back to her.

Dani almost wished he hadn’t bothered, that maybe the letter had just disappeared into a mysterious black hole, the way odd socks and pens tended to do when left unattended. She didn’t want this, not now, not today. Not when things had felt so good.

“Problem?” asked Nico, both curious and a little worried about Dani’s suddenly serious expression.

“Maybe. Probably,” she sighed. “This is from Ray’s lawyers,” she admitted as she began tearing into it. “Which probably means it’s… Oh!”

Nico wasn’t sure he should be reading over her shoulder, but Dani knew he was there and was now holding the documents where he could see them. It would appear they were divorce papers, complete and unargued this time, the only thing missing being Dani’s own signature. Ray’s name was already right there at the bottom for all the see. For one of the first times in his life, Nico had no idea what to say for the best

“So, er... I need to sign these,” said Dani, more to herself than to him as she hurried off towards the kitchen.

She was half way there when she turned back and looked at him.

“You want me to leave?” asked Nico, feeling a little awkward if he told the truth.

“Really don’t,” she shook her head. “You wanna be my witness?”

It was an unfair request, Dani was sure of that, but she hoped Nico wouldn’t mind. Her new boyfriend type person being her witness as she signed the papers that officially divorced her from her husband. Yeah, maybe it was a little twisted, but Ray was a lot twisted, and the faster she was parted from him the better Dani would like it.

Nico followed Dani to the kitchen and watched as she picked up a pen, took a deep breath, and signed away her marriage. When it was over she stared at the paperwork a long time, and then suddenly turned to look up at him.

“All done,” she declared with a smile that he wasn’t entirely sure was genuine at first. “End of an era.”

“I know,” he agreed, knowing how conflicted his own feelings had been when the time came for his marriage to end. “Could be the start of a new one though? Isn’t that a better way to look at it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so,” said Dani, turning the pages back over the divorce papers, and then hugging Nico tight, glad of his arms around her too.

Everything was just always that little bit easier with Nico around.

* * *

Lindsay was too quiet on the drive to school, and even her brother noticed. She had her moments of being silent, but usually only when he pissed her off and/or she was sulking. This was different, this was like a thoughtful kind of quiet, and that could only lead to badness.

“Mom’s acting weird, even for her,” she said so suddenly she actually made Ray Jay jump.

Sometimes it was just creepy when she answered questions he hadn’t asked yet. He wondered vaguely if it was a brother-sister thing, but never thought seriously enough about it to figure it out.

“I asked; she said she was fine,” he replied, checking the intersection for traffic before pulling out. “If something major was up, she would tell us, right?” he checked, glancing at Lindsay for just a moment before his eyes returned to the road ahead.

“I guess,” his sister sighed, leaning back in her seat. “This whole divorce thing is so bogus. I mean, it’s bad enough that we hardly ever see Dad, but did you think about what it’s going to be like at Thanksgiving or Christmas or whatever?”

Ray Jay hadn’t thought about that at all, at least not until Lindsay said it. He really assumed they’d all spend it together, like always, but now it was just hitting him that wasn’t going to work. Holidays and special occasions like that would mean making a choice, taking turns, splitting themselves in two. It meant either missing Dad, missing Mom, or missing each other. That really sucked.

“I guess it could be worse,” Lindsay considered then. “I mean, at least Mom and Dad are both single; no step monsters or pervy step dads to worry about. Winter has had soooo many.”

“I don’t know about Dad and women, but the only guy in Mom’s life seems to be Nico, and he’s cool,” Ray Jay shrugged.

Lindsay looked sideways at her brother then, suddenly bolt upright in the passenger seat.

“Eeew, you don’t think Mom and Nico are… y’know, more than friends?” she said pointedly.

Ray Jay frowned and thought about it a moment.

“Nah,” he shook his head soon enough. “She was dating that J.D. guy,” he noted.

“So?” Lindsay countered fast. “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe Mom is, I dunno, like playing the field or something.”

Ray Jay looked at Lindsay and Lindsay looked back at Ray Jay, until a person honking their horn behind them proved the light was now green and they really ought to be moving along.

Both teens shuddered at the idea of what they had just thought. Their mother getting intimate with guys, it was just not something they ever needed to consider and so they made themselves focus on other things. Lindsay turned up the radio and tapped along to the latest chart topper, but Ray Jay couldn’t shift focus so easily. He couldn’t help but think back to what Lindsay said before, about splitting their time between their parents and all. It really did suck.

* * *

Dani headed to the stadium after lunch. Her meeting with T.K. had brought her mood down, that was for sure. The poor guy was getting in a real mess over this Minefield person he had to play against in the big game. Dani was sure she could help him and had promised as such, but it was going to be a long hard week of sessions with Terrence to keep his panic levels under control. She hoped that between her relaxation techniques and the calming influence of Vivica, her favourite patient would be just fine.

In the meantime, Dani had plans to drop into the facility, catch up with the coach and let him know all with T.K. would be cool, and then go find Nico for a little one-on-one time. No doubt he’d been too busy to remember to stop for lunch, he had said before that it happened sometimes, so she had brought him a sandwich and coffee on the way in, sure he would appreciate it.

Dani turned the next corner and almost ran directly into Matt, narrowly avoiding crushing the lunch she had brought for Nico and spilling coffee all over the trainer.

“Good reflexes,” she told him with a smile, but he barely returned it.

Honestly, Dani might’ve noticed more if she wasn’t already thinking of the speech she had to give this guy. This nice, sweet, well-meaning hunk of a man that she had once put on hold for a while and was now about to tell that it was never going to happen. It seemed wrong, like kicking a puppy, but all was fair in love and war and he hadn’t exactly been celibate in their little hiatus. He and Laura were serious enough that for a while there Dani actually thought Matt would leave town for his pretty blonde ex. Maybe it would have been easier if he had...

“So, um, you here to see Nico?” he asked then, folding his arms across his chest - his whole persona just screamed defensive.

“Amongst other people, yes,” she admitted slowly, wondering where this was coming from, if maybe the fixer had already told her sort of ex what had happened. “Did you talk to him today?”

“Not really, just a ‘morning’ as we passed each other in the hall,” Matt admitted. “It’s not like we’re close... unlike the two of you lately.”

Dani opened her mouth, closed it again, bit her lip thoughtfully. Yeah, they really needed to have a little talk, and since they were all of five paces from the privacy of Matt’s office, here and now seemed like as good a time and place as any.

“Okay, c’mere,” she insisted, literally dragging him by the sleeve through the door that bore his own name.

“What’s this about, Dani?” he asked, sitting himself down on the couch and offering her the chance to join him.

She hovered for a moment, unsure whether to sit or stand. Eventually she dumped Nico’s lunch and her purse on the table and took a seat beside Matt.

“Okay,” she said again, taking a breath. “Here’s the thing, when you and I first... were together, I mean, that was great, it really was. You were what I needed Matt, right then and there,” she explained as best she could, feeling oddly embarrassed if she were honest and so she swiftly moved on. “We stuck a pin in this relationship, because of you getting me this job, and then there were just complications upon complications... You got back with Laura, I dated J.D., and...”

“And?” Matt prompted when Dani stopped talking and seemed to even be avoiding looking directly at him.

“And I just think that maybe we were fooling ourselves, thinking that a real romantic relationship was ever going to work between us,” Dani said then, all in a rush, as she finally made herself look at Matt.

Ironically, it was at this moment he stopped looking at her. He looked hurt, which she had wondered about but not entirely expected. He had to know she was right. He couldn’t’ve dated Laura or any of those other women he took out over the past few months, if he really believed the two of them were meant to be.

“Wow. I think this is the first time a woman ever broke up with me before we actually started going out,” he said eventually, a sort of smile on his face that looked more ironic than genuine.

“I’m sorry,” Dani shifted awkwardly. “Honestly, Matt, because you are a great guy, and if things had been different, who knows? But this is reality and the truth is... I don’t really have all the feelings for you that I should have if we were ever going to be a couple.”

“I know,” he nodded, already sensing this was coming but not exactly loving it now it was here. “Those feelings are what you’re having for a certain fixer we all know and are just a little bit afraid of, right?”

Dani bit her lip and looked away a moment, knowing that had already answered the question long before she slowly nodded her head.

“Yeah, kinda think I do,” she admitted. “Is that going to be okay? I mean, I can’t not have the feelings so... I guess what I mean is, I’d really like for us to stay friends, Matt. Really would.”

“We will,” he smiled back at her, happy enough to give her the hug she looked like she could use in that moment,.

No it did not thrill Matthew Donnelly to realise that he just lost a girl he didn’t really have yet to Nico, but he had no doubt the other guy would take care of Dani and treat her right, maybe even make her happy. If he was as good a friend as he claimed to be, that would be enough, given time.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been a rough week, Dani knew there was no denying that, but if they could just get through today, she had a feeling everyone would be okay. As she headed down the hallway towards the Hawks locker room, she knew her focus should be on T.K. as it had been for days now. He had struggled a lot with facing Maurice Manningfield or ‘The Minefield’ as he was known. The panic attacks had been strong and persistent, leading Terrence to drive away Vivica and making him feel as if he were losing his mind. Dani had been there for him all she could, sacrificing her own free time as necessary. It had meant spending slightly less time with her kids and a lot less time with Nico.

As such her relationship with the fixer remained pretty undefined, but then he had been busy too. The Pittmans seemed hell bent on divorce and in his position, Nico was the guy having to dig up potential dirt. When he was in fact the only dirty laundry Gabrielle had that was worth hiding, it made the situation very difficult, and Dani was as worried as she knew Nico was trying not to be.

They’d seen little or nothing of each other these past few days, just shared a couple of telephone calls and one brief make out in his office in passing. The guys at work knew nothing of what was happening between them, and Nico said it was for the best. Dani knew it was true and had asked Matt to keep his silence for a while – she was relieved that he agreed to that, very relieved indeed.

Even now, as Dani was on her way to talk to T.K. about why he just walked off the field in the middle of the play-off game, she couldn’t help but stop a moment to talk to Nico. He looked tired and way too stressed out. She wished she could help him, but right now there was little she could really do.

“When all this is over, you and me, alone time. That’s doctor’s orders,” she told him with over-done mock seriousness.

“Well, I wouldn’t dare argue with the doctor,” he told her with a smile that was somewhat strained. “If we can just get through today intact...”

His eyes drifted to the doors of the locker room then and Dani sighed.

“I can handle T.K.,” she said with slightly more confidence than she felt. “Matt thinks the same thing I do. He’s not injured, and if he doesn’t get back out there…”

“When the horse throws you, you have to get back on, or lose your nerve forever,” Nico nodded knowingly. “You’ll do fine.”

“And you?” she checked, looking up at him, moving in for a hug. “Will you be fine when you have to face Gabrielle again?”

“I’m on my way now,” he sighed, appreciating having her in his arms, however briefly. “I promise you Dani, there is nothing between me and Gabrielle anymore. I’m going to tell her that I won’t lie for her, and… and we need to talk about Juliette.”

Dani didn’t really know what to say to him, and she honestly didn’t have time for a speech right now. T.K. was waiting on her, and Nico had to go have his talk with Mrs Pittman, now rather than later.

“Good luck,” she said eventually, reaching up to kiss him once, and then moved away before she had a chance to get caught up in the moment.

Nico watched her go and let out a breath. She was a singular woman, one he has fallen head over heels for without hardly noticing at first. What he had said about Gabrielle was also true. Back in the day, he had loved her, but later it became clear she had developed only into a nasty habit, an addiction. She had used Nico as much as she used Marshall, and it couldn’t happen anymore. Nico wanted to be the man Dani deserved, the man he projected to the world. He was not going to start lying to his boss and friend to protect Gabrielle, not now. It was time to get a real answer about Juliette too.

Casting one last look at the locker room door, Nico turned and walked away. He had no doubts at all that by the time he got back from his meeting, T.K. and the Hawks would have won their game, or gone down trying their very best. As he said not so long ago to Dani’s former boyfriend, that woman was an impact player, and she always got her way in the end.

* * *

Dani couldn’t help but yell happily as the time ran out. The game was over, and the Hawks were the champions. T.K. had taken some real talking around, but in the end she knew she had to get him back out on that field, if not for the team then for himself. Nico had been exactly right – if T.K. didn’t prove to himself he was still able to play, and play well, he probably wouldn’t ever throw a football again. As it was, he had put that minefield guy back into his place, and the play off game belonged to the New York Hawks. Dani was so very proud of T.K. So much so, she could quite easily think of him as her own son in this moment, though she would never admit to such a thing, or suggest she were old enough for the role

“Hey,” she heard Nico say beside her, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to just throw herself into his arms.

Maybe she should have thought it through, but then nobody around here would think it odd that they were hugging. Their team just won, it was what people did, male or female, friend or stranger. She resisted the urge to kiss him though, even as she pulled back to look at him and his arms stayed around her.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a shake of her head then. “I’m getting all caught up in the win. I should ask how your meeting went,” she asked seriously, the two of them glancing around then at the crowds moving out of the stands.

Nico took hold of Dani’s hand and led her down the steps. They found a quiet spot just inside the tunnel where nobody would see or hear much of them.

“Everything is fine,” Nico promised Dani then. “She and I have established that we no longer have a relationship, and she’s all too aware of what I will and won’t say to her husband if things get messy”

He was being deliberately vague. No names or anything that could identify who they were talking about, just in case someone were listening in by chance.

“Okay,” Dani nodded once. “And... the daughter?” she asked in a whisper, just to be on the safe side.

Nico just shook his head at that question, the slight movement answer enough for the woman in front of him. She was relieved, truth be told, for him as well as her, that there wasn’t that added complication to this whole thing. At the same time, she saw some pain in Nico’s eyes and that she could never be glad for. A small part of him, perhaps a not-quite-so-small part truth be told, had wanted it to be true, that Juliette was his baby girl. Now that little wish had been crushed; it had to hurt.

“At least it’s all figured out now, an end to it,” said Nico, having seen the concern in Dani’s eyes and so not wanting to bring her down, today of all days. “Now everybody can move forward, including us,” he told her, his hand cupping her cheek and bringing her closer for a kiss.

“Y’know,” she said softly when they parted, “the kids have gone over to Ray’s place. I can’t imagine I’ll see them til late, if you wanna come over?”

“I’d love to,” Nico admitted, holding her tight. “But honestly? I really think I should keep an eye on T.K.,” he explained, looking back over his shoulder down towards the locker room – the joyful yelling could be heard even from here!

Dani understood, of course she did, though it didn’t make her any happier about it. Going home to an empty house would be no fun. Sure, she could go out celebrating with the team, but it wasn’t really her scene. She’d feel like she was cramping their style somehow, and besides, she didn’t want to distract Nico from his job.

“Okay,” she nodded. “You take care of yourself as well as Terrence, okay?”

“Promise,” Nico swore, as they shared one last kiss and then parted.

Dani was smiling even as she stood there alone beneath the bleachers. Sure, she was headed home to an empty place all by herself, but she was by no means alone. By morning her kids would be back, maybe Nico would come visit, and then she could see T.K. and the team, and tell them how proud she was of them all. There were a lot of people in her life that she cared about and that needed her as much as she needed them. When everyone took care of each other, nothing could go so very wrong, she thought, as she headed for her car, still smiling widely.

* * *

It turned out to be quite a nice experience for Dani to have the house to herself. She was free to do whatever she wanted without interruptions. The door was bolted, her cell switched off, and she headed up to the bathroom for a long hot soak in the tub. With a glass of wine in one hand and a trashy romance novel in the other, she was happy and content in her own little world for at least an hour.

When the water grew cold, and bottle of wine grew empty, she finished up in the bathroom and headed to bed. It was strange passing by her kids rooms and knowing they were empty, but at least with Ray she knew they were safe and not getting themselves into anymore trouble.

Ray Jay and Lindsay, they were good kids really, when you got right down to it. Apart from a couple of minor outbursts about what the divorce meant for them all, they had handled the situation pretty well, Dani thought. Yes, it would be rough on them, splitting themselves between their parents for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so on, but Dani assured them she would never be mad at them for wanting to spend time with Ray, and if he got angry when things went the other way, she would have words, no doubt!

With a sigh, Dani flopped down onto her bed, a smile playing at her lips once again. On top of having a finalised divorce from her asshole husband, two wonderful children, and a job she was proving to be awesome at, she also had a man in her life she could really see being a keeper. Nico Careles was like no other guy she ever knew, but she was becoming increasingly aware that he as the one for her.

They were going to take this thing pretty slow, they had at least agreed on that, for fear of screwing up. They both had a failed marriage under their belt, and other relationships they were less than proud of to boot. This was going to be so different, and something they would hopefully get a chance to discuss and explore now that all the trials and tribulations with the Hawks were down to a dull roar.

Slipping off her robe, Dani slid underneath the covers and settled down to sleep, flipping off the lamp by the bed. When she dreamt she hoped it would be of Nico and she was not disappointed on this occasion. Unfortunately, just when they were getting to the good part, the really good part, Dani became distracted. There were a knocking sound somewhere, and it seemed to be getting louder and more urgent.

All of a sudden Dani was awake again, sat bolt up right in bed with the sound of knocking still assaulting her ears. There was someone at the front door, she realised with a start, and hurried out of bed to go answer it. A small part of her thought all this panic was for nothing. Probably just the kids having forgotten their keys, and yet she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding or her mind racing as she pelted down the stairs as fast as she dare, tying her robe around her as she went.

It was almost a relief to see Matt on the other side of the door, no cops or people bleeding or anything. Dani let out a breath she barely knew she’d been holding.

“Matt, thank God!” she gasped. “I thought...”

“Dani,” her name from his lips was beyond serious, and when she actually looked up at his face she realised her relief had come too soon.

“What’s going on?” she asked straight out, unable to bear this a moment longer. “Is it T.K.?”

“It’s not T.K., although it involves him,” he tried to explain, but couldn’t help floundering badly - there was just no good way to say this. “An angry fan took a shot at Terrence, but he missed,” he explained as gently as he could. “Nico stepped in... literally.”

“Oh my God,” Dani gasped with genuine shock and terror, unable to ask the question that rose in her throat. “Is he...?”

“He’s alive, that’s all I know,” said Matt with obvious regret, he really hated having to bring this news to her.

On top of that, Nico was his friend too, no matter what had happened with Dani. This was a serious situation, as serious as it could ever possibly be. This time it was the fixer that needed fixing himself, and whether such a thing were possible, nobody could be sure.


	14. Chapter 14

This was the way life was supposed to be, Dani thought, as she relaxed into the embrace of the man she loved. Strong arms held her close and safe, a warm solid chest supporting her head, as they swayed to an old-fashioned tune just made for lovers to slow dance to. The kids were gone for the weekend, the night was still young, and they had all the time in the world.

“I think I could stay here forever,” Nico whispered against her hair, and Dani smiled.

“You’re not the only one,” she agreed dreamily, moving to look up into his eyes then. “I didn’t see it coming, not for a long time, but... Nico, I love you,” she confessed.

“And I love you, Dani,” he replied with a smile, leaning down to kiss her.

She was surprised when after a few seconds she felt no contact from his lips, and opened her eyes to see pain cross his face.

“Nico?” she checked, gasping with shock the very next moment as she noticed the red patch growing ever larger on his white shirt. “Nico!”

Dani woke up with a yell, sitting bolt up right in her seat. It was a dream, a beautiful-turned-terrifying dream. The reality was that she was still here, sat in the hospital waiting area, with T.K. at her side.

“You okay, Dr D?” he asked her, a hand at her shoulder when he realised she was shaking badly and yet couldn’t be cold.

“Yeah,” she nodded absently. “Or no,” she amended, tears coming back to her eyes when she remembered every detail of why they were here all in a rush.

Nico had been shot, somewhere in the region of his chest, which couldn’t be good on any level. How much damage had been done and how fixable it was, they still didn’t know, and she wondered if the doctors would tell them even when they figured it out. As much as she knew by now that she loved Nico, as big a part of her life as he had become, Dani had no idea who his next of kin would be, if his parents were alive, if his ex-wife would care...

“How long have we been sitting here?” she asked hoarsely, only looking towards T.K. after she had posed the question.

“I dunno,” he shrugged, his expression blank and tone numb. “I told Viv she should head home a half hour back. She got work tomorrow and all. Matty took her so I could stay,” he explained flatly.

Dani nodded that she understood but had nothing more to say. She felt almost as numb as T.K. seemed to be, when she wasn’t wanting to scream and cry like an angry child. That thought triggered a chain reaction of thoughts in her head and she stood up fast.

“My kids,” she said suddenly. “Ray Jay and Lindsey, they’re at Ray’s place...”

“Jay Bird texted you a while back,” he said, handing Dani the phone she knew had been in the purse she was now rummaging through. “I heard the buzz and you were out cold. It was right there at the top so... I’m sorry, I wasn’t exactly thinking,” T.K. apologised, looking like he might cry himself.

Dani didn’t have it in her to be mad at him for crossing a line or whatever. It wasn’t worth it. She was relieved to see that Ray Jay had sent a text saying he and Lindsay would be staying over at their Dad’s house tonight. It meant they didn’t have to know about Nico until the morning. That was probably for the best.

“Oh, Terrence,” she sighed as she slumped back down into the seat beside him. “How can this be happening?” she asked, though she didn’t really expect an answer to such an unanswerable question.

“I dunno,” he replied anyway, putting an arm around his friend when her head landed on his shoulder. “I don’t even get it, man. One minute I’m just telling this guy that I don’t want trouble nor nothin’, that he should just walk away. Then there’s this gun in my face, and before I can react, Nico’s there and… and then he’s on the ground and there’s all this blood,” his voice broke as he described the scene, and Dani’s heart broke for him as well as Nico and herself too.

It was bad enough hearing about what had happened, knowing how her man had suffered. T.K. was actually there, bearing witness to it all, and now living with a strange kind of guilt that Nico’s life might hang in the balance because the fixer was trying to save him.

“It shoulda been me,” T.K. muttered. “If he hadn’t stepped in. If I hadn’t walked off that damn field today...”

“No, Terrence,” Dani said definitely, as she pulled his head around and made him meet her eyes, even as tears streaked down from her own. “No, this is not your fault, not in any way. Okay, this person with the gun, he has problems, problems that you couldn’t’ve known about or controlled,” she tried to tell him. “Besides, Nico was just doing his job. You didn’t ask him to protect you or step into your place, he did it because… because he cares about you and what happens to you,” she explained.

“I just feel so bad, Doc,” T.K. told her, collapsing into her arms.

The pair were holding on to each other for dear life, crying their hearts out over a man that might yet live or die on them. After the elation of the day, tonight seemed ten times more harsh somehow, as the one man who they always turned to for fixing any given situation fought against something that none of them could ever help with.

* * *

It was early in the morning. Matt had come straight back after dropping Vivica at home, and he and T.K. had been sat either side of Dani ever since, all three of them waiting for news on Nico. Coach dropped in to see if there was any news, but on hearing that there wasn’t left again promptly. He had a meeting to attend about what had happened, and apparently Pittman was likely to be in attendance. Dani vaguely recalled Nico telling her that Marshall saved his life once. She wished such a thing were possible for any of them now. As it was, Nico’s fate was in the hands of the doctors, and more so God and fate. Dani had never felt so useless in her whole life.

“Er, are you Mrs Careles?” asked a doctor then and Dani was on her feet in a second.

“Actually…” she began to explain, only for Matt to stand up beside her and cut in fast.

“Yes, she is,” he lied, shooting a warning look at Dani when she looked like she might argue. “Can you please tell us what’s happening?”

The doctor looked from one of them to the other and back, then at T.K. as he got up from his seat too, looking sick with worry. He got the distinct feeling he was being lied too, but it couldn’t really matter. They said they were the guy’s family and he was going to need all the support he could get right now. If they were lying, well, he’d worry about the possible consequences of that later.

“As you know, Nico took several gun-shot wounds to the chest and shoulder” the doctor began to explain. “Now it’s actually to his advantage that the shots were at close range. It allowed the one bullet not stopped by the kevlar to pass cleanly through his shoulder without getting lodged anywhere inside of him.”

Dani was startled by what she just heard. Of course, Nico would’ve been prepared for anything. Of course, he would’ve gone out to that club wearing a bullet-proof vest. Somehow, he saw something as bad as this coming. Still, Dani wasn’t sure whether to be pleased so far or not, and was hardly breathing as she leant a little on T.K., and then more so on the doctor’s every word.

“It’s also good news that the bullet didn’t pierce any vital organs. It actually only grazed the artery. In that sense, Nico is a very lucky man,” he said with a small smile. “Unfortunately, he did still suffer a great deal of blood loss,” he continued, that smile fading all too fast, “and when he fell it seems he hit his head. We’ll be keeping him in for a few days, watching out for infection, any head trauma…”

“But he ain’t gonna die, right, Doc?” asked T.K. desperately.

Dani had a hold of his hand by now and honestly wasn’t sure which of them had the tighter grip as they waited for the answer that seemed forever in coming.

“I can’t make any guarantees in these cases,” said the doctor with a regretful shake of his head. “Nico seems strong and healthy in so many ways. If he’s lucky and suffers no complications, he should make a full recovery,” he explained. “But I have to impress upon you that I’m using the word should. As I said, there are no guarantees, at least not right now.”

A nurse appeared then, needing the doctor’s assistance. Making his apologies, he turned away.

It seemed like good news, or if not good at least hopeful. It was all Nico’s friends had to go onto right now, all Dani had to cling to.

“Can I sit with him, please?” she asked the doctor just the moment she could get his attention back.

She was pretty sure he couldn’t say no, not when Matt had gone right ahead and said she was Nico’s wife!

“He’s under sedation right now,” he explained, “but you’re welcome to be with him if you wish,” he smiled kindly, asking the nurse he’d been speaking with to show Dani the way to Nico’s room.

As the doctor walked away, Dani asked the nurse for just a moment whilst she spoke to Matt and T.K.

“You guys should really go home, get some sleep,” she advised them, since both looked shattered, particularly Terrence.

She knew how much this had shaken him up. He really shouldn’t blame himself, but she understood why he would see it as his fault. T.K. was a good person, better than the public thought most of the time. He hated to see those closest to him suffer, especially on his account. This whole situation was killing him, and all Dani wanted to do was give him a hug and tell him it’d be okay. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in a position to be giving guarantees right now.

“You sure you’re okay here alone?” asked Matt worriedly, but Dani just smiled.

“I won’t be alone, I’ll be with Nico,” she told him. “And I promise I will call both of you if anything changes.”

Matt nodded that he understood, put a hand to T.K.’s shoulder to led him away.

“C’mon, man,” he said as he turned him towards the door, knowing that Dani was right about them getting some sleep whilst they could.

The cops would probably want to talk to T.K. again before long, and reliving what happened to him was never going to be pretty. It might just be a little easier if he was rested before then.

“Hey, Dr D,” Terrence suddenly turned back to talk to Dani. “What about the chicklets?” he asked her as she looked back from a few paces away down the hall.

“I called my Mom before,” she assured him, smiling because she was so grateful that he would think of her kids, even at a time like this. “She’s going over to the house and she’ll explain everything when they get home.”

Satisfied that all was as well as it could be, T.K. let Matt lead him out of the hospital then. Dani turned back to the nurse who led her down a maze of corridors and then opened up a door to a private room.

“Thank you,” Dani smiled at the kindly woman as she stepped inside, that expression sliding from her face in a second when she saw the state of the man she loved.

Bandages were bound around his chest and shoulder, a pad was stuck on the side of his head where he had fallen. There were tubes and wires, beeping machines, it was horrifying, but at the same time it was a relief, to see Nico with her own eyes and know he was still alive, still breathing, still there.

“Hey, you,” she said in a shaky voice as she pulled the chair up beside the bed. “I... I’m here for you, Nico,” she told him, carefully picking up his hand in both of hers. “I’m here, and I’m gonna stay here, until you wake up. Please wake up.”

Dani was answered by silence. She cried.

* * *

The room was lighter when Dani woke up. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep but the drama of the night had clearly caught up to her at last, and she had fallen asleep sitting up in the chair, slumped over with her face pressed onto Nico’s hand. He was still out for the count, but still breathing steadily. She thanked God he had lasted the night and silently prayed in a way she hadn’t done for years that things got better today.

A commotion outside the door caught he attention then, loud voices that she couldn’t fail to recognise. Dani stood up fast and immediately wished she hadn’t as the blood rushed from her head. She sat down again with a bump just as the door flew open and her two kids came rushing inside.

“Oh my God!” Lindsay gasped with shock, one hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Ray Jay put his arm a round her and she turned into her brother’s chest, not wanting to look at how bad Nico appeared to be right now. He was a good guy, he didn’t deserve this, he really didn’t.

“Ray Jay, what are you doing here?” Dani asked her son, whose eyes were still fixed on the injured man in the bed for now.

“Grandma told us what happened,” he explained. “We didn’t even stop for breakfast, just got back in the car and came over. We figured you’d need us,” he shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

Dani wanted to cry all over again, but in a happy way this time. Her kids could drive her crazy on a regular basis, but in moments like this she was so proud of how they’d turned out - she couldn’t love them more.

“I love you guys,” she told them as she moved to hug them both together, kissing the top of Lindsay’s head for good measure. “It’s not as bad as it looks, baby,” she promised when she caught her daughter peeking at Nico again. “I mean, he’s been through a lot, but there’s every chance he’ll recover and be just fine.”

“It doesn’t seem right,” Ray Jay said sadly. “I mean, he’s the good guy. He helps everybody out, keeps people safe. I guess nobody is looking out for him.”

“Well, they are now.” said Dani definitely as she moved to re-take her seat by the bed. “We’re gonna be here for him now, like he has been for us.”

“Right,” Lindsay nodded in agreement as she came to stand by her Mom. “Can he hear us?” she asked uncertainly.

“I don’t know for sure, honey,” Dani sighed. “I hope so. I hope he knows we’re here and we really want him to wake up,” she said pointedly, picking up Nico’s hand once again.

“Hey, Nico,” Ray Jay tried hopefully, even though he felt a little dumb. “We’re right here, man.”

“We are.” Lindsay agreed with a forced smile. “And... and I’m sorry that I asked you to look into J.D. Aldridge and got you in trouble with Mom,” she blurted out, hoping Dani didn’t lose it when she heard such a confession, hoping that the fact she was apologising now would be good enough.

“You did what?” Dani asked sharply, looking up at her daughter.

Lindsay wasn’t sure what to say, and was saved from having to say anything at all when Dani’s attention was taken by the stirring man in the bed.

“Nico?” she checked, holding on tight to his hand. “Nico, can you hear me?”

“I can hear an argument starting,” he groaned, wincing as he tried to open his eyes and found the light just too bright at first.

“Get used to that,” Ray Jay told him with a smile he couldn’t help. “If you’re gonna be hanging around our family too much.”

“Oh my God, I am so glad you’re awake,” Dani told the man she loved, leaning closer so he didn’t have to turn so much to see her. “The doctor said it’d take longer for the anaesthetic to wear off.”

“Yeah, sedation doesn’t usually take with me,” the fixer told her with a groggy smile, before turning serious again in an instant. “Is Terrence okay?” he checked, at which Dani smiled.

“He’s fine. You saved his life, Nico,” she told him, in case he hadn’t realised it.

The news that he had completed his job seemed to help him relax more. Though he was clearly suffering, in more ways than one, it was comfort to know it was in the pursuit of doing what was required of him. Everybody else was okay, and Dani was right here. All the rest could be worried about later.

“Er, kids, could you go make some calls please?” Dani asked Ray Jay and Lindsay then. “I promised Matt and T.K. I’d let them know what was going on, and then there’s the coach, and your Grandma,” she rattled off.

“We got it covered, Mom,” her son promised. “We’ll let them know Nico is awake, that you’re staying for now, and that you’ll call again later when you have more news, okay?”

“Perfect,” she smiled. “Thank you”

“You need anything when we come back, Mom?” asked Lindsay as they turned to leave. “Coffee? Breakfast?”

“Um, yeah,” she nodded slowly. “A coffee and a sandwich would be great, thanks,” she told them gratefully, remembering that Nico would be the first to admonish her for not taking care of herself, even now.

“They’re good kids,” said Nico, as Dani turned her attention back to him. “They’re not the only reason I looked into J.D.,” he admitted then, taking Dani by surprise on two counts.

She honestly hadn’t thought he had heard all that stuff, and on top of that, she had trouble with taking in the concept that Nico had wanted to look into J.D. without prompting from Lindsay and Ray Jay. Maybe she should’ve known better. She understood how much he cared about her now, maybe even loved her like she loved him. That being true, anything from protecting her to good old fashioned jealousy would have made him want to over-step the mark that way. Far from feeling mad about that right now, it kind of made her love him all the more.

“It doesn’t matter now,” she promised him, squeezing his hand, only to watch him wince as he shifted a little in the bed. “Should I call for a doctor or...”

“No, it’s fine,” he assured her. “These sheets aren’t quite the quality I’m used to,” he joked, an Dani laughed out loud because she just couldn’t help it.

“Well, the sheets at my house are much better,” she told him definitely. “Just as soon as you’re well enough, that’s where you’ll be.”

“Dani...” there was a hint of a warning in his tone that was almost indistinguishable underneath the fatigue and pain.

“Hey, no arguments,” she cut in fast, reaching to put a hand to his face. “Nico, you spend your life taking care of everybody else, including me and my kids, in ways I never expected,” she smiled fondly. “Now it’s our turn. You’re gonna be taken care of Santino family style, okay?” she said as if it were a question, and yet he knew all too well it was an order, albeit a kind and well-meant one.

“I never thought,” he sighed, leaning his face into her hand.

“Never thought, what?” she asked curiously.

“That anyone could care that much, about a guy like me,” Nico told her honestly, his eyes already falling shut again, his body craving further rest.

“Then you’re a stupid fixer man,” Dani told him, glad to see a smile grace his lips for all of a few seconds. “I love you, Nico Careles,” she said, running her fingers through his hair and across his cheek.

“Love you too, Dani,” he breathed, just before sleep claimed him once again.


	15. Chapter 15

Nico Careles woke up to the sun on his face and soft blankets surrounding him. It was a good, warm feeling, and a vast improvement on the hospital bed he had found himself in on that first day. It had been a very long time since he last took a bullet for any reason. He really hadn’t believed that night would break the long recess of his getting shot at, though the thought had crossed his mind long enough to wear his trusty vest. Honestly, Nico had been hoping to protect T.K. from himself more than anyone else. When the guy got cocky or drunk, or in most cases both, he had a tendency to act first and think later. Whilst he had improved under Dani’s tutelage, Nico just had a feeling that night after the play off game was going to mean trouble one way or the other, and clearly he hadn’t been wrong.

Shifting in the bed until he was almost sitting up, Nico winced a little when his shoulder protested the manoeuvre. It was almost a month since he moved into Dani’s guest room, after spending nearly a week in the hospital. He hated those places, for a long list of reasons he preferred not to think about. Being invited to Dani’s place was a surprise, especially when the kids seemed almost as insistent about it as she was. He wasn’t so doped up that first day that he didn’t know Dani had told him she loved him, or that he said it back. They both meant it, that was clear even then, and ever more so now.

The Santino family had not gone back on their word one bit. They had been taking excellent care of the man that had been watching their back for months now. Nico couldn’t be more grateful or more overwhelmed by a kindness he wasn’t entirely used to being the subject of in the beginning.

It wasn’t just Dani, Lindsay, and Ray Jay that had made such a big deal over him. Nico was somewhat surprised by T.K.’s attitude too. He had visited the hospital every day until Nico was discharged and in the first couple of weeks of his being here at Dani’s house too. Terrence was a good man, underneath all the bravado, Nico knew. There was a big heart and good soul buried deep, which clearly caused T.K. to feel a great deal of guilt for what happened. Nico wouldn’t hear the constant apologising the wide receiver tried to throw his way. He told him as much, more than once, and now he and Terrence were much more like friends than a kid and his hero or similar.

Of course, T.K. wasn’t the only person connected to the Hawks that came visiting. Nico had seen the Coach too, a couple of other players who had been present on the night of the attack, and even Matthew Donnelly. It wasn’t as if the fixer and the trainer didn’t get along, on the contrary, they had a healthy respect for one another, but Nico did understand that his getting together with Dani wouldn’t sit well with Matt. Something happened between them in the beginning, he would have had to be a fool not to realise that, long before Dani ever confessed there had been a one night stand. It didn’t matter to Nico, that was before he and Dani even met, and they might never have done so if not for Matthew’s involvement. Now Dani was over the trainer and apparently in love with Nico himself. It was a little awkward to start off with, but things were better now. Matt had moved on just the same as Dani had, and he and Nico got along just fine again.

The only other somewhat awkward moment had come when Juliette showed up on Dani’s doorstep. The kid never did know that Nico might be her father, at least as far as he knew. If she had even an idea of what had gone on between him and Gabrielle, she didn’t say it, just said she had come to visit because she was worried about him. Nico couldn’t switch off the fact that he cared about her, even if she wasn’t his flesh and blood. He would always be glad he got her into rehab and helped her turn her life around.

Juliette informed Nico that her parents’ rocky marriage was being patched up again. Whether it would work or not was anybody’s guess, but the fact the divorce seemed to have ground to a halt suited Nico just fine. It was one less thing to worry about and allowed him the freedom and luxury of healing here in the comfort of the Santino home. He didn’t have to feel so guilty anymore, or at all responsible for another marriage gone down the drain.

Of course the thought occurred to Nico that maybe Gabrielle stopped with the divorce proceedings when she realised she didn’t have him to run to. That could be flattering if it were true, but made no difference to his own feelings. Nico was with Dani now, and he couldn’t imagine ever being happier than this, apart from when he was fully healed and back to work of course.

After more than a month of lying around in bed, being waited on hand and foot, Nico was getting to the point where he just wanted to do for himself again. Some tasks were going to require assistance for a while yet, and more rest than usual would still be needed, as well as drugs, but Nico was determined. Nothing was going to keep him down for too long, and somehow this morning felt like the right time to show Dani and the world he could get better, and faster than his doctors expected.

The Santinos never faltering care had certainly helped. Nico never once felt patronised when they offered assistance, only cared for in a way he hadn’t in years. The room had been set to his liking and easy use, everything he needed right at hand - his painkllers, glass of water, book to read, remote for the TV parked at the foot of the bed. It was so good he could get away with hardly ever moving, but that wasn’t Nico. He would not trespass on the Santinos lives in this way any longer than was necessary. Besides, he was a man of action if he was anything, and lying around in bed did not suit him at all.

Getting up, Nico stopped a moment to catch his breath and swallow down a couple of pills. The pain was bearable most of the time, but still ever present, as expected. It took a good ten minutes for him to get his pants on mostly one handed and the idea of wrenching his arm round to put on a short was unbearable. Instead, Nico put his left arm through the sleeve then just pulled the right side over his sling. He had on a T-shirt already, so it wasn’t as if he was less than decent, and the family had seen him in worse states.

Barefoot and a little shaky after so long mostly confined to one room, Nico gripped the banister with his left hand as he made his way down the stairs. Half way, he could smell bacon and coffee, and hear the laughter of the family he would be proud to call his own. As it was, the Santinos were not his to love, and yet he did all the same.

“Any chance of some breakfast for the invalid?” he joked as he finally reached the kitchen door.

All eyes snapped to look at him and Dani came rushing from the other side of the room to greet him.

“Nico, what are you doing...?” she asked in semi-panic.

“Dani, I’m fine,” he assured her. “Well, not fine because there’s a hole in my shoulder and I’m starving” he said straight-faced. “But mostly, I’m fine,” he promised her with a smile.

“It’s so great to have to up and about again,” she told him with the widest grin, before she reached up to kiss him softly on the lips.

“Eeeew,” Lindsay and Ray Jay chorused, and yet they were smiling too when the adults looked their way.

Honest truth was, they were pretty happy that their Mom had gotten so close with Nico. Yes, it would’ve been better all around for the family if they had been able to stick together as they had been before, but the teenagers had long since realised their Dad was gone for good from the family home. They all had a new dynamic now, and Nico was a good guy. He had helped them so much and now they were taking their turn looking after him. It worked out, and the kids had never seen their Mom so happy as when she was with the fixer.

“You should come sit down,” said Lindsay, vacating her stool. “We have to split anyway or we’ll be late for school.”

“Thank you, Lindsay,” said Nico with a genuine smile, patting her hand as he took the seat she offered him.

“You kids have a good day!” Dani called after the kids as they hurried off to school.

“Good to see you feeling better, man,” Ray Jay told Nico, as he rushed out of the door after his sister.

It was strange how the kids had come to respect him, to care about him in the strangest way, but Nico had to admit he didn’t mind. He never really pictured himself as the step-father type, but that certainly seemed to be the way things were headed all of a sudden. Dani’s teenagers had come to accept that he and their Mom were in love and planing to be together for the long haul. That’s all any of them could really ask for.

“So, bacon, eggs, coffee?” Dani reeled off the food she was putting together for Nico.

She got a surprise when she turned to get his confirmation and was pulled in by his one good arm until he could kiss her. Holding her tight, Nico took full advantage of being alone with the woman he loved for a while.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Dani said breathlessly. “But my Mom is gonna be here any minute, and you... you should be resting,” she said with a finger on his lips.

“I’ve rested enough for a life time,” he sighed, taking her hand in his own. “One day I have to get back to normal.”

“I know,” she agreed, using her free hand to push his hair off his face. “I just, and this sounds crazy and wrong, but I kind of like looking after you, having you need me.”

“I will always need you, Dani,” he promised her. “From here on out we can take care of each other. Always.”

She kissed him again just for saying that, then turned to finish off his breakfast. The plate was duly laid before him, with just a fork to work with given his lack of use in the left arm right now. Dani didn’t say a word about cutting up his bacon for him, she just did it, and given the circumstances, Nico couldn’t mind.

“Thank you,” he said as he set to eating, with Dani sat on the stool beside him.

With her chin propped in her hands, she was quite content just to sit and marvel at the sight of him apparently. The silence was comfortable, until suddenly she sighed.

“It’s gonna be so weird if you move out when you’re better,” she lamented.

Nico’s fork stopped half way to his mouth, eggs in limbo for a moment.

“If I move out?” he questioned her phrasing, waiting for the furious back-pedal that didn’t actually come. “Ms Santino, did you just make me a proposal... about moving in with you?”

She smiled all the wider when he said that,

“If I did, would you say yes?” she asked, watching him closely.

Nico was rarely overwhelmed by anyone or anything, but sometimes Dani managed such a thing. He put his fork down ono the plate and looked seriously at the woman he loved. She wasn’t kidding and she seemed awfully sure about what was a huge step to occur this soon.

“Dani, shouldn’t you talk to Ray Jay and Lindsay about this?” he checked, picking up one of her hands in his own then.

“Hmm... maybe,” she considered. “But they do really like you,” she reminded him. “I mean, they already have a father, obviously, but you could be their friend?” she tried, hoping he took that in a positive way. “You’re so good at looking out for people.”

Nico had to agree that he and the kids did get along well. Besides, whilst living alone had suited him well enough all these years, he had got used to the company this past month. The noise was familiar, the family vibe comforting. Moving in with a woman he loved and her two kids wasn’t actually as crazy in this moment as it should’ve been.

“Yes, Dani,” he said then, with a smirk more than a smile because he realised how backwards all this was some how. “I’d love to move in with you.”

With a grin as wide as he had ever seen on her face, Dani moved to kiss him then. She stopped just short of her lips meeting his, disappointing Nico more than he was willing to let on.

“You do know that if you officially move in, it won’t be the guest room, right?” she checked, at which Nico had to laugh.

“I did hope it wouldn’t be,” he chuckled, serious again in a moment as he met her eyes.

One big step after the other was being leapt upon here, though perhaps at their age, the sex part wasn’t as big a leap as it might’ve been. They’d waited a long time to be together, in all kinds of ways, and in the sense of the bedroom they had a way to go yet, but that was okay. They’d made it this far and were still just fine.

“So, we’re going to live happily ever after now, okay?” Dani joked, loving the feel of Nico’s arm around her waist and his forehead against her own.

“I think maybe we’re both a little too old and too wise to believe it’s that simple,” he sighed, though his smile remained, “but I’ll give it my best shot if you will?”

“Deal,” Dani giggled like a teen a moment before their lips met in another deep kiss.

Yes, happily ever after was nothing but a fantasy, but both Dani and Nico believed they could get through anything, so long as they were taking care of each other.


End file.
